Stitch By Stitch
by PurpleForDonnie
Summary: Stein and Spirit killed a Kishin, only to realise that it had... A baby? After accidentally letting her escape, 16 years later she's back as Amaya Rhys. She knows nothing about her past but her Kishin blood is threatening to drown her in madness. Will she find out what it's like to finally have a family when fate brings her to Stein's door? KidxOC , platonic SteinxOC
1. Chapter 1

***Author's note: Hello! This is my very first Soul Eater fic, so please tell me what you think! I'm going to say straight away that I have already written this story and edited it, (and now I'm only posting the chapters) so there will be tons of drama! I'm a sucker for drama! :-) Anyway, all the usual characters will make an appearance, mostly the students. The first few chapters will be mainly characterisation, like the anime, so please bear with me! Haha! Thank you for reading!**

**I do not own any characters in this story except my own original OCs! ***

* A sound soul dwells within a sound mind, and a sound body *

...

Sixteen years ago

...

"If we keep it up at this rate, I'll become a Death Scythe in no time," Spirit Albarn said, as he ran to catch up to his partner, Franken Stein.

The night was dark and black clouds drifted towards them ominously.

"We have to keep a steady mind, Spirit," Stein replied, his round glasses flashing intently with the moonlight. "We only have half the required amount of Kishin souls."

"Don't worry, Stein," Spirit waved a hand in the air to relieve his friend. "We can get the other half soon, and finding a witch's soul will be easy!"

"Don't be foolish," Stein admonished, shaking his head when his partner couldn't see. "Many have died trying to gain a witch's soul. It will be extremely difficult. So we must be prepared for anything."

"Fine," Spirit replied, his shoulders seeming to deflate. "Why must you be so negative all the time, Stein? Sometimes a little positive thinking can do wonders."

"Realistic thinking can do more than wonders," Stein started.

Suddenly, a man ran across their line of vision, and crouched on the concrete, his silhouette blacker than the night.

"What's he doing?" Spirit whispered, looking around behind Stein's shoulders.

The strange man rolled over a large lump on the ground, and stabbed a knife repeatedly into it.

"It's a Kishin," Stein replied, quietly.

The large lump on the ground bled out, a black ring of liquid seeping into the ground around it, then it suddenly exploded into a million particles of dust.

A white-blue orb rose from the dust and levitated in mid-air. Both Spirit and Stein knew that this was a soul, someone's life, floating in front of the Kishin's face.

The Kishin grabbed the air-bound soul with a greedy hand and shoved it down his throat, swallowing the large orb slowly.

"He killed him," Spirit whispered, disgustedly. "We have to get him before he kills anyone else!"

Spirit was suddenly gone, and Stein's jaw dropped a bit.

"Spirit- wait-" Stein said, reaching a hand out toward his friend's retreating form as he went running toward the Kishin. Stein reluctantly ran behind him, stopping a few feet from his red-headed companion. The Kishin still had his back turned to them.

"Spirit, now!" Stein exclaimed.

The red headed weapon shot into the air with a burst of light, transforming into a large red and black scythe.

Stein grabbed the scythe from above and wielded it dangerously toward the Kishin.

"Stop!" Stein yelled, and the Kishin looked in his direction.

Stein got a good look at the monster. It had white hair and a vertical eye slanting across it's forehead. It opened it's mouth to speak, revealing sets of pointed teeth.

"Must have... Power..." the Kishin breathed, running toward Stein and his weapon with full speed.

Stein spun the scythe and slashed the air above the Kishin's head, barely missing.

The Kishin barrelled into him, and they all went rolling across the concrete. Stein's scythe left his hand suddenly, and the Kishin noticed.

The monster tried to lunge, but Stein hurriedly grabbed up his weapon, and the Kishin slashed his knife inches in front of Stein's face.

Stein could feel the sharp wind blowing past his eyes as it ripped from the blade above him.

Breathing deeply, Stein tightened his grip on the scythe and jammed the blade into the Kishin's stomach.

The monster-man fell away from Stein and slumped onto the ground.

Stein jumped up, and tried to calm his pounding heart as Spirit changed back into his human form with a burst of light.

"That was close," Spirit huffed, looking around with wide eyes.

"I feel as though this is only the beginning," Stein said, quietly, searching the grounds. "I can sense another soul. But this time it's not a Kishin. It's just a Kishin-egg."

All was quiet for a second, then the high-pitched wails of a baby rang out into the night.

"What?!" Spirit yelled, his voice rising an octave from surprise. "The Kishin-egg is a baby?!"

"No," Stein replied firmly. "I can sense the baby's soul as well. I believe it belonged to the Kishin we just killed."

"We have to get that baby before the Kishin-egg finds it!" Spirit said, turning and looking around the empty streets quickly. "We have to take it with us!"

"I suppose," Stein pondered, a hand on his chin. "The Kishin-egg is approaching quickly. We'd better move then if we want to find the baby before it does."

The two started following the sounds of the crying, searching the dark as silently as they could.

The wind picked up, as if a storm were moving into their area.

"Stein! There's the baby!" Spirit yelled, pointing at a park bench, where a blanket-wrapped baby was perched.

Stein ran to his friend, but another man suddenly broke from the shadows opposite them.

"Leave the baby," the man growled at them.

They were all equal distances away from the park bench. Stein wracked his brain.

He had to think of a way to get there before the Kishin-egg did.

"Why?" Spirit asked. "What do you need a baby for?"

"The baby..." The Kishin chuckled, darkly, "has a secret talent. We need it on our side..."

Suddenly, Stein took off in a run toward the park bench, but the Kishin lunged and grabbed the baby up one second before Stein landed on the ground with a thud. Stein looked down at his empty hands for a moment before he remembered their situation.

"Spirit! Follow them!" Stein barked as the Kishin-egg took off for the woods. If the man got into the woods with the child, they'd never be found and the baby would be lost forever.

"Right!" Spirit said, and dashed toward them. He jumped over another bench and landed in front of the Kishin. "Hand over the baby," Spirit demanded, trying to corner the kidnapper.

"Catch," the Kishin-egg snarled, throwing the baby into the air behind him.

"Ah!" Spirit screamed as the little swaddled baby flew through the wind.

Stein jumped up as quickly as he could and ran, holding his arms out, hoping the baby landed where he thought it would.

Stein stumbled on a rock, but managed to keep his balance.

The baby landed in his arms perfectly, and he let out a breath of relief.

The Kishin tried to make a run for it, but Spirit held an arm out, a large blade jutting from his elbow.

"Not tonight," Spirit whispered, and lunged at him.

As the two engaged in combat, Stein quickly studied the baby in his hands.

It was a girl, he thought. Well, maybe it was. He wasn't the best at judging babies. He wondered if it was a Meister or a weapon, because the Kishin said it had a talent-

Suddenly, the baby turned into a tiny weapon in Stein's arms, cutting the palm of his hand.

He almost dropped it, but stared in amazement.

It was a mini double scythe, a blade at the top right and the bottom left. There were black raindrops made into the design, and writing down the side that said, "Sound soul, sound mind, sound body."

Stein had never seen anything like it before. Turning back into a human, the little girl looked up at him with big blue eyes.

The baby even possessed it's own soul wavelength, at this young age.

He wondered-

"Stein! Watch out-" Spirit yelled.

Stein flashed around, kicking instinctually.

The Kishin rammed into him and the baby flew from Stein's hands into the woods.

"Ah!" he grunted, falling on his hands and knees.

Stein grabbed the Kishin's leg as it tried to follow the baby. Pinning the monster on the ground, Spirit turned back into a scythe and Stein grabbed onto the weapon.

"Say goodbye," Stein growled, and cut the Kishin's head off with one swift motion.

The monster exploded into nothingness, and a single red soul floated in the air before them.

There was a sharp noise in the air as Spirit changed back once again, and Stein breathed deeply.

"You take the soul, and I'll try to find the baby," Stein said, as Spirit grabbed the soul out of the air.

Stein stood back up, trying to stop the bleeding from his cut hand, and walked into the woods, searching.

There were no cries, no noises.

Nothing. The dark woods were eerily silent, and Stein let out a deep breath that he'd been holding in his lungs.

"Spirit! The baby's gone," Stein called, sounding disheartened.

"Gone?! What do you mean, gone?!" Spirit exclaimed, walking into the woods with his friend.

"I don't see it anywhere, I don't even hear it. It must be dead," Stein replied, his voice flat. "Let's get out of here."

"It's nowhere?" Spirit asked, searching around, frantically, under rocks and up in trees.

Stein rolled his eyes.

"I couldn't find it," he reiterated. "No baby could have survived a throw like that, anyway."

"Hm," Spirit sighed, sulking, his shoulders slumped. "Alright, let's leave."

The pair walked back from the woods, quietly, saying nothing.

For some odd reason, this night had changed them both. Stein wasn't even sure they could fight together anymore. They had been slowly drifting apart, anyway. He knew something like this was bound to happen.

Finally, they got to a crossroads. Stein stopped and so did Spirit.

They parted ways, not looking at each other, a mutual understanding between them, for the very last time.

...

Sixteen years later

...

"Hey, River," Amaya turned to her Meister, with a frightened glance. "Are you sure transferring into this academy is going to be for the best?"

River was quiet for a second, his white-blond hair hanging in his face. He looked back up to her, one gray eye and one gold eye shining. He could tell exactly what she was thinking, almost at all times.

"Why? Are you scared?" he asked her, teasingly, in his deep voice.

"No, I'm not scared, how dare you even ask me that!" Amaya replied, indignantly.

She walked ahead toward the academy, her arms crossed, faking anger.

River and Amaya were closer to each other than your usual Meister and weapon.

He smiled when he thought about it.

River and Amaya had been born with matching birthmarks. They looked like tattoos, but they weren't. They hadn't gotten them by choice.

On River's chest, he had the words "Sound soul, sound mind, sound body," right across his collar bones.

Amaya had the same words, almost in the same script, across her collar bones as well.

It was odd. It was how they had met.

"River, are you coming?" Amaya asked him, tapping her foot, a tad agitated.

"Yeah," he replied, his hands in his pockets.

He walked to meet her by the doors.

They had just finished trekking up what seemed to be an endless amount of stairs to get to the door, and River had stopped to enjoy the view.

Amaya, on the other hand, wanted inside the school as quickly as possible.

River opened the doors, watching Amaya's face to see her reaction.

"Woah," Amaya said. "This is pretty awesome."

The place was big and bright, with almost a cheerful atmosphere. The walls were a light yellow and white color, and there were stairs at the end of the hall closest to them.

There was a student standing by the door, talking to another group of students.

"Hey," Amaya asked them, walking farther into the school. "We're new here. How do we contact lord Death?"

"You're new here?" a girl asked, confused. She had two blond ponytails, one on each side of her head. She also had on a long black coat with a red plaid skirt, and black boots.

"Yeah, it's our first day," Amaya replied. Usually, River didn't talk all that much, so Amaya had to do most of the talking.

"You walk up to a mirror and write 42-42-564, while making this symbol on the glass. That'll give you contact with lord Death," the girl replied. She held her hand out. "My name's Maka!"

She closed her eyes and giggled.

Amaya raised one eyebrow but shook her hand, anyway.

"My name's Amaya, and this is my Meister, River," she replied, politely.

"This is my weapon, Soul," the girl said again. "And this is Black Star and Tsubaki, and Kid and Liz and Patti."

She introduced a long line of people that Amaya hoped she'd remember the names of.

"Nice to meet you guys," Amaya replied. "Well, I have to go get my classes schedule and get a hold of lord Death. See you guys later!"

She nodded at them, and River said nothing, being the thoughtful and quiet person he usually was.

They found a large room with a mirror, and Amaya guessed it was for talking with lord Death.

The pair approached the mirror and traced the numbers on the glass.

A light filtered through the mirror, and they could see a man in a mask on the other side.

"Hello, hello, good to see ya!" Lord Death said happily at them. "You two must be our newest students, Amaya Rhys and River Stone! It's going to be absolutely wonderful having you here!"

"Thank you," Amaya replied, bowing her head in respect. "We just wanted to check in before we head to our classes."

"I left your schedules with a man named Professor Stein," Death told them. "He's also the professor of your first class! That way, you wouldn't be late!"

"Thank you," Amaya replied.

"Well, you'd better be hurrying along! Stein's room is down the hall, at the end. Toodaloo!" Death said in his wacky voice, and his picture faded from the mirror.

"Well, that was weird," Amaya told River. He just chuckled and shrugged.

The pair slowly made their way to Professor Stein's class, which was at the end of the hall.

The door was already open, but they knocked before going inside anyway.

The room started up high, and seats eased down into the room, like a theatre almost. The teacher's desk was at the bottom.

The only person in the room was a man, covered in stitches. Even his lab coat had been taken apart and crudely pieced back together. A large bolt stuck from the side of his head.

The man shuffled through some papers, sitting in his chair backwards, and turned the bolt in his head clockwise.

"Well, hello," the man said in a calm, almost monotone voice, looking up at them, his glasses shining white.

"Hello," Amaya spoke up from the top of the room. "We were told by lord Death that you had our class schedules."

"I do," he replied, his eyes back on his papers. "Why don't you come on down and get them?"

The man sounded casual, but Amaya felt a tad on-edge.

He seemed familiar to her, somehow.

She knew that if she had ever seen him before now, she would probably have most definitely remembered him.

But that still didn't stop the odd feelings of familiarity that consumed her and rooted her to the spot.

River had already started down to get his schedules, and looked back at her questioningly.

"I'm coming," she said.

They both walked down, and stood in front of Stein.

He looked up, once, casually, a stitched scar running down his left cheek. He looked back down again, then did a double-take, seeming a bit startled.

"You two are quite a pair," he said, his brow furrowed. "What are your names again?"

"I'm Amaya, and this is my Meister, River," she replied.

"You're sixteen," Stein stated.

"Y-yes. How did you know that?" Amaya asked, surprised.

"Lucky guess," he replied, seeming to shake whatever surprised feelings he'd had earlier. "Here are your schedules, and your books. Your first class is mine, which starts in about ten minutes. You can have a seat, or leave and come back. Whichever suits you."

Amaya looked at River, who hadn't said very much all morning.

"We'll go look around the school, and come back," Amaya replied.

"Don't get lost," Stein said. "You wouldn't want to be late on your first day."

The man tried to wheel his chair over to a filing cabinet, but the leg got caught on something and the whole chair flipped over with him in it.

"I'm okay," he said, but didn't attempt to get up. He just read his papers on the floor.

Amaya turned and tried to leave as quickly as possible, trying to ignore the tendrils of some odd emotion that had coiled their way into her stomach.

That man was strange.


	2. Chapter 2

***Author's Note: Hi! Thanks for reading! Like I said, mainly characterisation chapters, but if you stick with me, I promise they get better! **

**And I have to warn readers... Because I've already written this story, toward the middle and end, the plot gets a bit dark. A lot of madness and gory scenes. So if you're okay with that please continue reading! Thanks! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Soul Eater. I only own my OCs! ***

Amaya and River were walking down the hall, silently, when the boy named Kid approached them.

He had large yellow eyes and black hair, white streaks across one half of his head.

He nodded politely at them.

"Did you manage to get a hold of my father?" Kid asked, standing straight and poised, a hand in one pocket.

"Your... Father?" Amaya inquired, confused.

"Of course. Lord Death is my father," he replied. Amaya was surprised. If lord Death was Kid's father, than that would mean he was a Reaper.

"Yeah, we talked to-" Amaya started, but cut off when Kid seemed to stop breathing for no apparent reason.

Suddenly, Kid's eyes grew large and he reached over and grabbed Amaya's shoulders.

"You... You're perfectly symmetrical!" he exclaimed, pulling her in for a hug. He squished her against his chest and wrung her from side to side. "Your hair, your eyes, you even have symmetrical freckles on your face!" He breathed in a squeaky breath. "You're absolutely beautiful!"

He started crying against her shoulder.

Amaya just stood there, freaked out, uncertain of how to respond.

River grabbed Kid's arm and yanked him off of Amaya.

"Back off," River said, non-threateningly.

"I'm sorry- it's, just-" Kid started, tears still running dramatically from his eyes.

Suddenly, Kid's weapons, Liz and Patti approached and dragged him away.

"Sorry," Liz said to them. "He's a nutcase."

The three of them disappeared down the hall, Kid still gazing Amaya's way with star-struck eyes.

"Okay..." Amaya told River. "Three weird happenings in one day. I'm thinking we should leave."

"Nah," River replied, with a shrug.

"You actually want to stay?!" Amaya exclaimed.

River just smiled.

"Hi, guys!" Maka said, approaching them with her books held against her chest. "Where's your first class? I'll help you find it!"

"We already know where our first class is," Amaya replied. "It's Stein."

"That's ours, too!" Maka pointed to her, Soul, Black Star, and Tsubaki. "We'll walk with you!"

"I'LL lead you there!" Black Star exclaimed, pointing to himself. "I know you want to follow me, I'm a star! Everyone wants to follow me! Hah!"

He started walking ahead of them, fists on his hips, Tsubaki trailing behind him with a sigh.

"He's a little full of himself, isn't he?" Amaya asked Maka and Soul.

"You get used to it," Soul replied, apathetically.

They all walked, behind Black Star, to Professor Stein's class.

...

In class, Maka insisted on Amaya and River sitting next to her and Soul. Amaya sat beside her and they waited for class to start.

Professor Stein was no longer in his classroom, so they all settled down to wait for his arrival.

Kid, with his twin weapons, walked in and Amaya looked down at him. Kid was staring up at her face in awe, so she looked away, uncomfortably.

"Hello, class," Stein said, entering the room. He walked down the stairs and stopped at his desk at the bottom.

Everyone was quiet, waiting on him to start.

"I usually don't do this, but because we are already along in the semester, I believe it is necessary. We have two new students, so I would like them to come down and introduce themselves," Stein said, pulling his chair back over and sitting backwards onto it, looking directly at Amaya and River. "And when you introduce yourselves, please add where you came from, and who your parents are."

Amaya deeply thought that Professor Stein was weird. She was scared to even ask why he wanted that information.

She and River stood up and walked down by Stein, feeling every eye on them.

"You first," Stein said, looking at River. Stein leaned forward in his chair, a cigarette hanging from his mouth, to watch.

Was it even legal to have a cigarette in class? Amaya wondered.

River took a breath to start his speech.

"My name is River Stone. I'm 16, and from this area. My parents are Ukasha and Valor Stone. I met my partner, Amaya, about ten years ago." River nodded to signal that he was done.

"Okay," Stein said. "Now you." He pointed to Amaya.

"Well," she took a deep breath. "My name is Amaya Rhys. I don't know where I'm from. I don't know who my parents are. I'm a weapon, and I met River about ten years ago in primary schooling."

Stein just stared at her.

"What is your weapon?" Stein asked, calmly.

All of that, and all he wanted to know was what weapon she was?

"A double scythe," Amaya replied.

Stein stood up suddenly and approached her. He reached over and tugged on the collar of her shirt, trying to pull it up.

"What are you doing?" Amaya asked, freaked out, trying to back up away from him.

"Oh, calm down," Stein replied with a laugh. "I'm just looking at your tattoo."

"It's not a tattoo," Amaya said. "It's a birthmark."

"'Sound soul, sound mind, sound body', hm?" Stein asked.

"I was born with it," Amaya replied. "And so was River. It's how we met."

River tugged the collar of his shirt down, revealing his birthmark as well.

"How you met," Stein stated, cigarette hanging from his lip as if he were dumbfounded. "Tell me. Did you both think it was only interesting that you were born with the same tattoo?"

"Yes," Amaya answered, with a shrug. "We don't know how they got there."

"Have you ever heard of a true soul wavelength pairing?" Stein asked, walking around them in a circle.

"No," Amaya said.

"Class," Stein addressed everyone, "has anyone heard of a true soul wavelength pairing?"

Nobody raised their hands.

"Each Meister and each weapon have about a hundred people who are able to match soul wavelengths with them enough to be permanent partners," Stein explained. "But every person has one true partner, whom if they matched soul wavelengths, they are at the peak of their physical strength. It is very rare for someone to find their one true soul partner, but once they do, their souls connect immediately. It seems that Amaya, here, and River, are a true soul pair."

He looked down at them, with something like interest and jealousy in his eyes.

"You are born with those birthmarks as a sign of your destiny," Stein added, a hand on his chin. "How intriguing that you have found each other so young."

He stood there for a second.

"You may sit down," Stein said after a while.

Amaya and River both looked at each other, and walked back up to their seats.

Everyone was staring at them as they walked. River rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

Stein was extremely quiet for about three minutes and his students waited for him to continue the class.

Then he shook his head.

"Class is dismissed," he said, then walked out of the room.

His students were stunned. They all just sat there, wondering if it was some kind of a test.

"Are his classes usually so short?" Amaya asked Maka.

"No," Maka replied, curiously. "Something must really be bothering him."

All the students hesitantly picked up their books and left the class, still looking around nervously.

River looked at Amaya and smiled, with a shrug.

...

Stein walked directly from his class to visit with Spirit. He had to know what was going on, here.

Spirit was most likely with lord Death, so Stein took the secret entrance.

He walked into the cloudy, breezy place Death called his own.

"Is Spirit here?" Stein asked Death, who had just finished talking to a student through the mirror.

"Professor Stein," Death greeted. "I've just had a chat with a student who was very worried about you."

"Because I ended class early?" Stein questioned. "Those naive children."

"On the contrary, it was miss Maka. She said you looked upset and knew you were coming here," Death replied.

"I assure you, I'm fine. I just need to speak with Spirit," Stein said.

Spirit walked to him, questioningly, as he heard their conversation from the corner.

"What's going on?" Spirit asked.

"The baby," Stein said. "The missing Kishin baby from 16 years ago. She's here."

"At the academy?" Spirit asked, surprised.

"Yes. She has one of my classes. Her name is Amaya. And she has a true soul pairing."

...

Amaya and River were getting along very well at the Academy. They had only been there for a few days, but they'd already made so many friends.

"We should throw a party!" Maka yelled one day, excitedly.

"What for?" Soul asked, looking over at her apathetically.

"For Amaya and River, of course!" Maka said. "It can be like a 'welcome to the DWMA' type of party!"

"Yeah," Tsubaki added, clasping her hands in front of her excitedly. "I can cook, and Black Star can help decorate!"

"I can what?" Black Star cut in, hearing his name.

"Help decorate for the party!" Tsubaki said excitedly.

"What party?" Black Star asked, in a disgusted sort of way.

"The party we're going to throw for Amaya and River!" Maka added. "We can have it outside behind the school on the concrete terrace!"

"That sounds like fun," Kid added, cooly, walking toward his friends with his twin pistols following on either side. "And will Amaya BE at this party?" he asked, overly-nonchalant, pretending to be interested in his nails as he waved his hand in front of his face.

"Well, I'd hope she'd be at a party that was thrown especially for her," Soul answered sarcastically.

"Great, I'll be there, thank you for the invite," Kid grinned.

"Liz, did you hear us get invited?" Patti asked, innocently.

"I did not," Liz replied.

"Is this party formal or casual?" Kid inquired.

"Casual," Maka replied, with a sigh.

"Great! When is it?" Kid asked.

"I don't know," Maka said. "We'll have to ask Amaya and River what time is good for them."

"Don't forget to let me know, then," Kid said. Then he seemed to panic. "But- how am I supposed to stand in front of someone so- so- so- perfectly symmetrical? I only have streaks on one side of my hair, no matter how many times I dye them! I am- nothing but asymmetrical garbage! Permanent asymmetrical garbage!"

He grabbed his cheekbones in despair.

"You have classes with her every day," Liz rolled her eyes. "So just do what you always do."

"No, no, no, that won't work!" Kid exclaimed, walking away from his group of friends, Liz and Patti slugging along behind him, shoulders slumped in exasperation.

"I'm glad that's over," Soul replied, crossing his arms. "He's even more unbearable than usual."

"He's really obsessed with symmetry, isn't he," Tsubaki stated, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Well, the party is still gonna be awesome!" Maka exclaimed, excitedly. "I can't wait!"


	3. Chapter 3

The next night, everyone was standing around on the concrete behind the school, listening to the music, the stars shining down on them. It was a nice night, with a cool breeze.

Black Star danced around like crazy, trying to get all the girls to dance with him. Tsubaki stood there, watching, shaking her head.

Amaya showed up finally, in her black dress. River stood beside her, in his black jacket, watching her.

The truth was, River was ecstatic that Professor Stein had told them that they were true soul pairings. He'd known that they were unusually close, but having an actual reason assured him.

"It's nice that everyone threw us a party," Amaya told him, with a smile.

River smiled back at her and took her arm.

"Yeah," he said, thoughtfully.

"Hey, guys!" Maka exclaimed, running over to them. "You guys look so nice!"

"Thanks," Amaya replied. "And thanks for throwing us a party."

"No problem!" Maka said.

"What are you kids doing here so late?" a voice asked, behind them.

Maka, Amaya, and River turned around with curious glances.

"Professor Stein?" Amaya asked.

"Lord Death let us use this back terrace for our party tonight! We have to be out by ten though," Maka answered. "What are you doing here so late?"

"Grading papers," Stein answered after a hesitation. He continued walking past them.

"Bye," Amaya called to him. That man was still familiar to her, somehow, but she just couldn't place her finger on it.

Stein disappeared, and Maka dragged Amaya and River to the party.

Lots of people were there, some that Amaya didn't even know.

Suddenly, Liz and Patti approached, pushing Death the Kid, who seemed to have completely frozen.

"If you're going to talk to her, you might as well do it now!" Liz grunted.

"No- no! I'm not ready!" Kid exclaimed dramatically, in a whisper, trying to escape.

"Hi, Kid," Amaya greeted.

"Oh, well, hello," Kid turned back around, acting as if he hadn't been trying to claw his way out a few seconds ago. "What a surprise, seeing you here."

"Yeah," Amaya laughed. "I'm glad you came, though."

"You are?" Kid asked, his bottom lip quavering.

He turned around, and muttered quickly to himself. "So she doesn't hate me!"

Then he turned back around, to face them again.

"Would you like to dance with me, Amaya?" Kid asked, holding his hand out to her.

"Sure!" Amaya replied, with a laugh.

She took his hand and they walked out to the 'dance floor'.

River stood there, watching, a jealousy pumping through him.

Maybe coming to this school was a bad idea, after all.

Crossing his arms, he thought about all the times he and Amaya had had together.

He could remember the time they had first met.

And this Kid guy was a freak. He even had to dance symmetrically.

"Right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot..." Kid mumbled in concentration.

"Hey, why the long face, you act as if someone had just stolen your best friend," a voice said, quietly.

River turned around and saw Professor Stein.

This guy was an odd one. Why was he creeping around their party?

Stein was half-hidden in some bushes.

"Uh... What are you doing here?" River asked.

"To be honest, Death asked me to keep an eye on your little party. As a chaperone, of sorts," Stein replied, fixing his glasses.

"You don't have to hide in the bushes," River said. "I bet if you told Maka, she would be okay with you staying."

"So tell me," Stein cut in, as if he hadn't even heard River, "how did you and Amaya meet?"

"How did we meet?" River repeated, confused.

"Yes."

"Well, Amaya was an orphan and stayed at this orphanage. A man there saw her use her talent one day, but he already knew of weapons and Meisters, so he sort of took her in. He taught her alone for a while, when she was around five years old. And that's how I met her. The man enrolled her in the primary school for Meisters and weapons, and we noticed we had the same birth mark," River explained. "We clicked instantly."

He looked over forlornly at Amaya and Kid, who were still dancing symmetrically across the floor.

"Ah," Stein said, following his line of vision, "Someone DID steal your best friend."

"No," River replied. "She can dance with Kid if she wants to."

"You know, I can sense the souls of Weapons and Meisters," Stein said. "I can tell that you have a kind and peaceful soul, and that Amaya has a passionate and outgoing soul. That's why your souls match up so well. You're basically opposites. You balance each other out."

Stein sniffed, and rustled around in the bushes for a second.

"If it's any consolation to you, Amaya and Kid's souls don't match up as well. They don't balance each other out like they're supposed to," Stein added. "So they're naturally not going to get along as well as you two do. I think your friendship's safe."

"Thanks," River sighed, leaning against the tree.

He waited a few seconds and looked over at where Stein had been standing, but he was gone.

"Maybe that crazy old man knows something after all," River chuckled.

...

Stein stood in the open field about half a mile from the school.

He'd taken his class out for a training exercise, something that he usually did.

"Alright class," Stein announced. "I've brought you here today for some extra bonus points. Get in your groups and you'll soul resonate one by one. The more powerfully you can get your souls to resonate, the more bonus points you receive. Any questions?"

He walked around, and none of the students raised their hands.

"Alright. I'll give you a few minutes to prepare yourselves," Stein said.

All the students turned to their partners and chatted quietly.

Stein looked across them all and saw Black Star, standing confidently, not preparing like the rest of the class was.

His mind would be easily manipulated.

Stein stared at the boy, channeling his thoughts into Black Star's mind.

Ask.

Ask to see their Soul Resonance.

Ask.

That would do it.

"Alright," Stein started. "Who wants to go first?"

Nobody said anything.

"No volunteers?" Stein prodded, pulling a cigarette from his coat pocket and putting it at his lips.

"Hey, if Amaya and River are supposed to be so powerful, how about they go first?" Black Star said, sarcastically, crossing his arms.

Stein smiled mischievously, inwardly ecstatic.

He had known the boy would be influenced easily.

"Alright," Stein agreed, trying to hide his anticipation. "River and Amaya. You're up. Don't strike out."

Amaya looked over at her partner, with an odd expression on her face.

Excitement? Anxiety? Worry?

Stein couldn't tell.

River and Amaya stood in the middle of the circle of students, side by side, waiting.

"Uh... You guys had better back up," Amaya said.

Stein raised one eyebrow.

Nobody moved.

"You heard the girl," Stein prodded with an amused snort. "Everyone back."

All the students started widening the circle, finally stopping, eyes wide with curiosity.

"A little more," Amaya said, hesitantly.

Everyone kept backing up, until they were almost too far away to even see.

"Alright, Amaya," River said, with determination.

Amaya transformed into a double scythe with a shot of bright white light.

River caught her in midair, and wielded the scythe for battle.

"Let's go- Soul Resonance!" Their voices yelled in perfect unison.

Stein noticed their voices had opposite timbres, one high, one low, but still in perfect balance.

Interesting.

They screamed together as their soul energy connected.

It seemed as if the ground started shaking, and the scythe's blade grew to wrap around and meet at the tips to create a perfectly sharp circle. Perfectly deadly.

River's tattoo started growing, the words being repeated from his chest up into his face.

"Night rain!" River yelled, holding the scythe in the middle and circling it above his head like a lasso.

Night rain, Stein thought. Like her name. Interesting.

River crossed the spinning blades around his body, aiming his vision at the training dummy before him.

Suddenly, soul energy started shooting from the blades. Like rain. But horizontal.

The energy rain blew to the dummy like a storm, ripping through the foam and plastic like it wasn't even there.

The same time the rain hit the dummy, a huge blast of energy resonated from the pair.

The energy blew past Stein and his students, almost knocking them over, sending them holding onto each other.

As Stein's hair was swept up by the blast, straight back, his glasses flew off his nose, hitting the student behind him in the face.

His cigarette left his lips and spiralled away in the wind.

They could only stare.

River and Amaya's energy was still blasting at the dummy, which practically had disintegrated from the attack.

River lifted the scythe in the air, and he breathed heavily. The energy finally ceased.

The scythe disconnected and returned to it's original shape, which Stein noticed, was the same from years ago.

The boy's tattoo disappeared from his face, and sweat dotted his brow.

Everyone was completely shocked as the pair's soul shrank back inside themselves.

They had never seen such a quiet boy seem so powerful and frightening.

River lowered the scythe, and his shoulders rose and sank as his chest moved with his breathing.

Suddenly, Amaya changed back into her human form, her left hand intertwined with River's right.

Perfect harmony, still, Stein vaguely noticed.

The wind decreased to it's normality again, and Stein started realizing the scene around him.

Trees were fallen and broken by the blast of energy, the dummy was completely obliterated, the students were visibly shaken.

Everyone was quiet.

"How many bonus points was that?" Black Star asked, eagerly, after a long silence. "Let me go next, I'll beat them!" He grabbed Tsubaki's hand, trying to get her to move, but she was still shocked.

"How did we do?" Amaya asked Stein, who didn't answer. "Uh... Professor Stein?"

"Very well, considering," Stein finally replied. "I'm actually surprised you didn't destroy the entire town."

"Sorry," Amaya said.

"That's just how things work," Stein waved off, bending over and picking up his glasses off the ground. He considered them for a moment before cleaning them off on his lab coat. "Alright, Black Star and Tsubaki. You're next," he said. "Good luck in beating that. Disappointing to follow them, isn't it?" He chuckled.

"No way!" Black Star announced. "I'm the greatest! I'm going to surpass God! Get out of my way, I'll show you!"

He pushed past everyone in the class and made his way to the center of the circle.

River looked at the kid, doubtingly.

Amaya shrugged at her partner and silently walked back to her spot with the rest of the class.

Stein caught her eye, just staring at her curiously.

Then he looked away to watch his over-confident student.

'Why is that man so familiar to me?' Amaya wondered to herself. She had thought that during her soul resonance, she had remembered something.

But now it was gone.

"Hm," she sighed.

Maybe it would come back to her someday.


	4. Chapter 4

*** Author's note: Hello! Thanks for reading this far! This is where the plot picks up a bit finally! Please let me know what you think! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Soul Eater. I only own my OCs.***

After class, Amaya was about to leave the clearing with River, when Stein approached her.

"Do you mind staying after for a few minutes?" Stein asked her. "I have some questions to ask you."

"Sure," Amaya replied, wondering why there was always something with this odd man.

Stein just stood there, hands in his pockets, until everyone had left.

Even River left her, hesitantly, after she nodded to him.

Amaya knew River was protective of her. She guessed it was because they had been friends for so long.

"Alright," Stein started, turning back to her. "I want to start off by saying that I can match soul wavelengths with almost anyone. But during your and River's display, I noticed that your soul wavelength is extremely strange."

"It is?" Amaya asked, surprised.

"Extremely," Stein replied. "I was wondering if you would try to match soul wavelengths with me, just to see if I can."

Amaya was hesitant to answer. She'd never really matched soul wavelengths with anyone besides River before. She'd never even fought with anyone else.

But she'd heard from Maka that Stein was considered one of the most powerful Meisters to ever graduate.

She knew that if she resonated souls with him, she might possibly be able to attain information from him.

Like why he was so familiar to her, maybe.

"Alright," Amaya replied. "We can try."

"Really," Stein asked, but not questioningly. He seemed surprised she had agreed so quickly.

"Sure, why not," Amaya said, with a shrug. "Since you're so trained and everything, what do you want me to do?"

"You won't have to transform," Stein replied. "And we don't have to fight to attain soul resonance. You'll see."

He held a hand up, stitched palm facing toward her.

"I just need contact with you is all," Stein added.

Amaya put her hand against Stein's, nervous for some reason. She could already feel their souls responding to each other's energy. Not as strongly as when she resonated with River, but still strongly.

Stein closed his eyes and so did Amaya.

To concentrate.

Amaya thought, 'Let's go, soul resonance' in her mind, and she felt her energy connect with Stein's.

Much easier than she had anticipated. She'd assumed they'd have to try a few times to get it to work, but maybe Stein really was powerful.

She could feel their souls extend outwards from their bodies, and the energy build up around them.

Amaya's hair floated around her as if she were in water, and she felt almost as strong as she did with River.

What was going on?

Suddenly, Amaya could see something inside her head.

It was Stein, and a red-headed man.

She saw a man on the ground, maybe dead.

She felt inside of her, a connection. Was that man on the ground...her father?

Suddenly, another vision danced before her eyes.

Red, red like fire, like insanity.

She could sense something within Stein.

She could sense his soul more than ever.

Intricate, confusing, but still kind and gentle in a way.

With something else... a madness fogging everything over.

A madness.

Suddenly, Amaya's eyes shot open and her head was forced backwards, the energy around her taking away her breath.

This man... something... something inside him could control him...

Could control her.

Stein removed his hand from hers as quickly as he could, and their souls disconnected from each other.

The energy around them parted with a deafening roar, like a plane breaking the sound barrier.

Amaya lowered her head, and looked at Stein, whose eyes were wide.

"You killed my father," she said.

...

Stein was silent for a few seconds, still surprised at their soul resonance. He'd tried as hard as he could to hide the facts from her, but some still slipped his grasp.

"Your father..." Stein started, "was a very powerful Kishin. My partner and I came across him one day long ago, and killed him. I assure you, he was very evil."

"A Kishin," Amaya breathed.

"When you were conceived, he was already one. Already very powerful. It's why you're so strong, probably why you were able to find your true soul pairing at such a young age."

Stein was quiet for a second.

"It's why your soul wavelength is so strange, and probably why our energy became so chaotic when we resonated," Stein continued. "I'm assuming your mother, whoever she was, was a weapon as well."

Amaya was so stunned, she was speechless.

She couldn't believe it. No wonder she was an orphan.

Her father had been a murderer. Her mother was god-knew-who.

Amaya had the blood of a Kishin running through her veins.

She had the potential to become evil.

Amaya tried to hold back a sob, but felt anger rising instead.

"I'm sorry," Stein said. "I didn't want for you to find out like this."

"Don't," Amaya cut him off, holding a hand up.

Her hand trembled as she used it as a barrier between her and Stein.

She'd wanted to find out what was going on, but now she wished she had never tried so hard to know.

Amaya turned around and left the clearing, leaving her teacher alone.

...

Amaya ran into the school, clutching her books tight against her chest, holding back her angry tears.

River walked up to her, but Amaya pretended to not see him, and ran into the girl's bathroom.

She slammed into a stall and stood there, feeling a strong mix of emotions.

She could still sense Stein's soul lingering within hers, as if they hadn't fully parted somehow.

Amaya felt like she were in denial.

Her father couldn't have been a Kishin. Not evil. No.

Not hers.

And aside from that, what had been that red glow from inside Stein?

It scared her, made her feel as if she had no control over her mind.

Amaya thought about River, his calm serenity.

She wished she could be more like him; she was so impulsive and jumped to anger a lot.

Like with Stein.

This was all his fault.

There was something going on.

Her emotions seemed to pile up on top of each other, making her feel unstable.

Amaya suddenly felt her mouth pull up into an uncontrollable grin.

She had never grinned like that before.

A laugh escaped her throat as she thought about her Kishin father.

She could be pretty powerful if she wanted to be.

If she put her mind to it.

She laughed louder, her mind seeming to have left her.

She could be powerful.

Strong.

"Hahahahahaha," she laughed, a hand covering her stretched face. She couldn't stop. Her face contorted in a mad smile, her body doubled over. She was laughing so uncontrollably, she could barely hold herself up.

She could see red inside of herself. Amaya blinked rapidly, but her eyes weren't seeing anymore. They were just there, unused.

She only saw what was in her head.

Suddenly, someone banged on the door to the girl's bathroom, and Amaya was dragged out of whatever turmoil she'd been in.

Breathing deeply, she held herself up against the wall with a shaking arm.

What the hell had just happened?

What WAS that?

"Amaya?" River called, concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she called back, her voice sounding rough. "I'm fine."

She pushed the stall door open and headed toward the hall, the red sinking deeper into her.

Throughout the day, she almost couldn't sense it inside of herself anymore. But she knew it was still there.

Amaya didn't know what exactly it was, but she knew it was permanent.


	5. Chapter 5

***Author's Note: Hi! Please let me know what you think so far! Sorry it's off to a slow start! It's odd, I'm interested in psychology and have to force myself not to delve into Stein's psyche! :-) Thanks for reading! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any Soul Eater characters. All I own are my OCs! ***

"Your dad's a what?" River asked, confused.

"Sshh!" Amaya shushed him, putting a hand to his mouth. "A Kishin," she whispered, barely even audible.

They were sitting in a room for lunch, at a table by themselves, everyone else around them, carrying on with their lives.

Amaya didn't want anyone else to know about her family. River was an exception. He pretty much was her family, himself. That and the next time they resonated souls, he'd be able to sense it inside her.

"No way," River replied, in shock. "There's no way your father was a Kishin."

"He was."

"Well..." River trailed off, thinking. "How did you find out?"

"Professor Stein kept me after class. He said my soul wavelength was odd, and he wanted to try to resonate souls with me, because he usually can with anyone. I decided I would try, because he seems so familiar to me and I thought I could get secrets from him," Amaya explained. "Well, I did get secrets. Secrets I don't even want anymore. I found out my father was a Kishin, my mother was some sort of powerful weapon, and that Stein and his partner killed my father. Because he was evil."

"Stein KILLED your father?!" River whispered, surprised. "When?"

"When I was a baby," Amaya replied. "Maybe that's why Professor Stein seems so familiar to me. I don't know. I ran off and left him in the clearing. I can't decide whether I hate him, or understand why he did it."

"If you ran across a powerful Kishin, you would kill it too," River told her. "We have before."

"I know... I don't understand what's wrong with me," Amaya said.

"Nothing is wrong with you," River smiled at her. "You're just confused."

Amaya didn't say anything. She decided not to tell him about the madness inside of her.

In case she really was finally going insane.

...

The next day, Amaya felt like everything had changed. Everything was different.

Nobody felt it but her. It wasn't their insight that had been altered. It was hers and hers alone.

Maybe River's had been changed as well, but he didn't show it.

They lived together in a house Amaya's first teacher had given them. The one who'd seen her use her talent at a young age at the orphanage.

When River had woken up that morning, he'd seemed the same as usual. Quiet but mainly happy.

Amaya was different, however.

She was truly feeling like River's opposite today.

In class once, Stein had told Amaya that she and River had opposite souls, and that's why they were such a good team.

But Amaya had never really felt like River's opposite. They were both usually nice and polite, a bit quiet. Sure, maybe River was more silent than she was, but for the most part, they were more alike than different.

Not this morning.

Amaya woke up in an unusually bad mood. She felt angry, irrational, and sad.

"Morning!" River greeted her.

"Why are you in such a good mood?" Amaya asked, agitated.

"I don't know," River replied, with a smile.

Amaya thought that maybe all along she had the potential to be River's opposite, but she had hidden it well.

"Want some breakfast?" River asked her, making him some pancakes.

"No," Amaya answered, slumping at the table.

"None at all?" River asked.

"No, I don't want any at all, stop pestering me, River!" Amaya growled.

The boy didn't answer. He just quietly made himself breakfast and sat down as far away from Amaya as possible.

...

Later that day, Amaya and River sat in Professor Stein's class with everyone else, waiting for him to show up.

"You would think a teacher who gets so angry about students being late for class would be on time, himself," Amaya said to River.

"Oh, I'm on time," came Stein's voice from the door. "No need to worry."

He didn't seem angry at all that he'd just walked in on Amaya bad-mouthing him. He just walked to his desk and took roll, calmly.

When he finished, he walked to the front of the classroom, and faced them all.

"Alright, class," he started. "Today we're going to be discussing something of extreme importance. You all have heard of Kishin."

Amaya gave Stein a sharp glance.

What?

"You've all heard of Kishin, you've all probably killed Kishin eggs before," Stein continued. "But I bet none of you have heard all the details about them."

Nobody said anything.

"Kishin are beings created as the final result of consuming an unimaginable amount of pure Souls," Stein explained, walking around the front of the classroom. "As I'm sure you already know. Any individual who achieves the status of Kishin has the power of a god, and becomes an equal to Lord Death himself."

Stein glanced up from his unwavering gaze on the floor, and looked up at his students.

"Kishin also excrete a Madness Wavelength," he locked eyes with Amaya, "of such high density that it can encompass the entire world, driving those who fall under it to utter insanity."

Nobody said anything. Stein continued to walk around the classroom.

"There are only a few known Kishin. The first's name was Asura. There are others though, hidden throughout the world," Stein stopped walking and stood at the center of the class. He was silent. "Nobody knows what goes on inside a Kishin's mind. But it is assumed to be susceptible to extreme bouts of madness."

Silence.

Amaya stared at Stein, and he stared back for a second, then moved his gaze away.

"Alright," Stein continued, his manner lightening quite a bit. "On to another subject. Your upcoming test."

Everyone groaned loudly. Stein chuckled.

"Didn't we just have a test?" Black Star asked, slumping down into his seat.

"That's the thing about tests," Stein smiled. "They're reoccurring."

...

After class, Amaya debated whether or not to ask Stein about this madness he was talking about.

She waited until everyone left the class but her and River.

"Go on and I'll catch up with you," Amaya told him. River gave her a hesitant glance, but did as she asked.

Stein was ruffling through some papers, his back turned to her.

"Professor Stein?" Amaya asked.

He turned around.

"Yes?" he asked in monotone.

"That madness you told us of..." Amaya said. "I have it, don't I?"

"You tell me," Stein replied, his glasses flashing. "You're not the average Kishin."

"I do have the Madness," Amaya said, mentally recoiling from herself. "It's like this red haze inside my mind. I can't control myself, what I do or how I think."

Stein didn't say anything for a second.

"That's what I was afraid of," he replied. "You would be more susceptible to the madness because you're half-Kishin."

"The first glimpse I got of the madness... was from you, Professor Stein," Amaya told him.

He didn't look at her.

"When we resonated souls," Amaya added, "I could sense it inside you."

"Sometimes you don't have to be half-Kishin to be mad," Stein replied.

Then he gathered his papers, pulled a cigarette from his pocket and left the room.

...

As the days went on for Amaya, the madness seemed to be getting stronger.

It would always happen in the oddest places, like walking down the halls or eating dinner.

Once, Amaya was in the shower, and was wondering about what her father looked like, and how he acted.

Maybe he wasn't evil. Maybe that was possible.

Maybe he was a good Kishin...

Suddenly, it was as if a switch flipped inside her brain. Her eyes started fogging over, but she remembered what Stein had told her once before: that she had to fight it.

She blinked rapidly.

Her mouth twisted up in a grin, and her eyes unfocused.

"Ha," she barked. "Hahaha! Nothing can stop it! Nothing! This is how I'm supposed to be! This is my destiny!"

She put her hand against the wall, trying to gain her senses back.

"No," Amaya sputtered, her face getting sprayed with shower water. "I'm sane, I'm sane. A sound soul dwells within a sound mind, and a sound body..."

She gasped, and tried to turn around away from the water.

She suddenly grew dizzy, her maniacal laughter still breaking from between her lips.

Her foot slipped, and she fell, smacking the back of her head off the wall.

Wham!

All the bottles of shampoo tumbled to the floor, and she reached out to grab the shower curtain.

It got tangled up into her feet, wrapping around her body, and she slammed into the ground, the shower water still spraying her in the face.

Well. The madness had subsided for now at least.

"Amaya! Amaya!" River yelled from outside the bathroom door. "Are you alright?!"

Amaya opened her mouth, but she couldn't speak. Water hit her in the face and her head was pounding.

She could see the water around her turning red with her blood.

Suddenly, the door flew open.

"Amaya!" River burst into the room, looking panicked.

He saw her, almost unconscious in the tub, half naked.

"Oh my god," he said, running over to her and helping her up. "You're bleeding, your head's cut!"

Amaya stood up, using the shower curtain as a cover.

She put her hand to her head and pulled it back, revealing sticky blood.

"Erghh," she groaned.

"We have to get you to Professor Stein," River exclaimed.

Even in her half-unconscious state, Amaya found several things wrong with this.

"Why?" Amaya groaned.

"Because you're going to have to have stitches," River replied, turning the shower off. "A lot of them."

"Urghh," Amaya groaned. "Let me put some clothes on first."

"We don't have time! You're bleeding-"

"No! I'm not going to see our teacher like this-" Amaya gasped, trailing the shower curtain behind her as she staggeringly ran into her bedroom, dripping blood onto the floor.

River sighed.


	6. Chapter 6

***Author's Note: Hi! Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think! **

**Disclaimer: I dot own any characters except my two OCs, Amaya and River! ***

A few seconds later, Amaya reemerged from her bedroom, by the door where River waited.

Blood was still flowing from the gash on her head, but she had taken some toilet paper and pressed it against her hair to stop the bleeding.

She was in some pretty bad pain.

"Tell me why we're not going to a hospital," Amaya said, squeezing her eyes shut through the pain.

"The school doesn't really want us going to hospitals if we can help it. Sometimes our soul wavelengths can mess up their technology," River replied, helping her as she stumbled.

"I hope Stein's home," River added, as the door shut behind them.

...

River had a driver's permit, but no licence.

They drove to Stein's house, anyway, because it was an emergency, in a car that had no licence plates.

They pulled up to their teacher's stitch-crossed house and got out of the car, River practically holding Amaya up.

She had lost so much blood, the toilet paper had been soaked through.

River knocked on Stein's door, loudly, but no one answered.

"Professor Stein! Professor Stein! Are you home?!" he called, knocking on the door again.

Finally, the two saw a light flash on inside and the door opened.

"River?" Stein asked, as he walked into the light. "What-?"

"You have to help Amaya- she slipped and cut her head open, she's lost a lot of blood," River explained quickly.

Stein opened the door further and let them inside.

"Hurry," Stein said.

The two walked past him into the house, which had also been dismantled and sewn back together. The walls were a patchwork, and the furniture had even been taken apart at some point and arranged in a different manner.

Stein walked into the room, carrying a medical box.

"Set her down over there," he pointed to the couch, which was half-grey, half-brown with stitches criss-crossing the entire surface.

River helped Amaya sit on the couch, and she held her head in pain.

Stein sat beside her and handed her two large pills and a glass of water.

"You might want to drink this first," Stein advised, his glasses flashing.

Amaya drank them down with one gulp, and she felt a numbing sensation travelling across her body within a few seconds.

"Hold still," Stein said as he started stitching up the back of her head with a pointed needle.

Amaya felt exhausted all of a sudden. Maybe because of the medicine, maybe because of her day.

"Want to explain how this happened?" Stein asked, as he stitched her up. She could feel her skin being pulled tighter against her head, but not as much pain.

"I... I was showering, and the madness took over me," Amaya said, her mind cloudy. "I couldn't think straight and I slipped. My head smacked off the wall, and then the edge of the tub. It's getting harder and harder to control."

"The... Madness?" River asked, looking over Stein's shoulder in curiosity. "The madness you were talking about in class?"

"Yes," Stein replied, finishing his stitching job and putting his stuff away. "Amaya here is more prone to the madness because she is half-Kishin."

"Oh," River said, quietly.

"There," Stein finalized. "You're going to have a large scar later, after this has healed. It's a good five or six inches long."

"Thanks," Amaya said, holding her head. "I'm glad you live so close."

"No problem," Stein replied, calmly. "You're going to have some pain. Here are some more of these pills to help. Don't drive or operate any machinery after taking them. And I suggest not taking them before school hours, either." He grabbed a wet rag and tried removing the blood from around her wound, making sure not to hurt her.

River stood up to help him, an air of relief filling the boy.

"Thank you, Professor Stein," River said, as he took the second wet rag off the table and helped clean his weapon's hair.

After the blood was cleaned up as much as possible, so she didn't look a total mess as they walked outside, they stood up to leave.

"Oh, and Amaya," Stein added. She looked up at him expectantly. "You're doing the right thing. The madness, you have to fight it. It's the only way." He gave her a serious stare. "No matter what happens. Never give up."

"I won't," Amaya replied. She wasn't sure why Stein was telling her this, or why he even cared. It was her own problem, wasn't it?

Stein nodded once, and the two kids left his house.

They got back in the car, Amaya wondering how long she could fight off the madness before it consumed her completely.

...

Amaya couldn't concentrate on anything but keeping her madness at bay. It seemed the more she thought about it, the harder it was to control.

When she and River went out hunting evil souls to gain their 99 Kishin eggs and a witch's soul, the madness was always at the back of her mind.

One thing Amaya had noticed, but hadn't put any thought toward, was that she could sense a witch's soul anytime, anywhere.

She had thought that was normal, until Stein mentioned it one day in class.

"To those who can sense witches' souls, the Soul Protect can hide them from detection," Stein had said, explaining the background on a story he had been telling.

"Excuse me, Professor," Amaya cut in, her hand raised, "Sorry to interrupt, but do witches use Soul Protect often?"

Stein looked at her quizzically for a second.

"Almost every chance they get," Stein replied. "They wouldn't want to take the chance of getting caught by a young Meister and Weapon in search of their final soul."

"Oh..." Amaya said, lowering her hand.

"Why do you ask?" Stein inquired, after realizing she wasn't going to explain further.

"I don't know... I sense witches' souls all the time. I didn't even know they used a Soul Protect," Amaya answered, shrugging.

Stein just studied her for a second, thinking, and then continued on with his story.

...

"Amaya!" a voice called from down the hall. She and River had been walking out of class, getting ready to go home, talking about some ridiculous assignment they'd been given.

Amaya turned around and saw Kid running toward her. He stopped a few feet away and smiled a bit shyly.

"Would you like to go on a date with me tonight?" Kid asked, staring at her face in awe.

Amaya didn't really know what to think or say.

River immediately felt anger and jealousy rise inside himself. But he kept it to himself like he always did.

Kid took Amaya's hesitation as a negative sign and started talking nonstop.

"I knew a lovely, perfectly symmetrical girl like you wouldn't have any interest in garbage like myself!" Kid said, dramatically. He turned around and slumped onto the floor, rivers of tears flooding from his eyes. "I want to die."

"No, no, Kid!" Amaya laughed, reaching down and grabbing his arm. "I DO want to go on a date with you tonight!"

"You do?" Kid gasped, as if he'd never heard a more surprising sentence uttered from someone's mouth.

"Of course!" Amaya replied.

"Of course," Kid whispered to himself, standing back up but facing away from them. "Of course, she says."

He turned back to her, in excitement.

"How about tonight, then, at eight?" Kid asked her.

"Sounds good," Amaya smiled.

"Until then," Kid replied, and leaned in for a hug.

Amaya hugged him back and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Kid reared back, a hand on his face, blood rushing from his nose.

He made a high-pitched squealing noise as he passed out on the floor.

Liz and Patti rounded the corner, looking around frantically.

"There he is!" Patti exclaimed, out of breath.

"Figures," Liz breathed, running over to Kid's collapsed form.

The two girls grabbed him up by his arms and looked at Amaya and River.

"Sorry!" the two girls chorused, and started dragging his body down the corridor, Kid's striped hair splayed out on the ground around his head.

River was practically steaming with anger.

The whole walk home, River said nothing to Amaya. He didn't even answer when she asked him questions.

He was angry, but he did what he usually did.

Kept it to himself.


	7. Chapter 7

***Author's note: Hii! Thanks for reading this far! I honestly get too into these characters! I appreciate any feedback you have like opinions! Even just letting me know that you've read a chapter makes me so happy! Anyway, thanks! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Soul Eater. I only own my OCs! :-) ***

Amaya didn't know how to dress for this date. She didn't know where they were going, or what they would be doing.

So she just dressed averagely, in a nice shirt and jeans, her hair up in a bun.

She awaited eight o'clock like she would win the lottery, somehow excited that she would have a chance to get to know Kid better.

Her only worry was that the madness would take over in the middle of the date, and ruin everything.

She just thought about what Stein had told her: to always fight and to never give up.

River was being unusually quiet, though. She walked downstairs in her outfit, set on asking him if he thought it was appropriate to wear.

River was slouched on the couch, a bottle of Pepsi held between his knees, staring at the wall without seeing it.

"River?" Amaya asked, walking down the stairs. "Does this look stupid?"

She held her arms out so he could see her outfit.

He glanced over at her and studied her.

"No, it looks good," River replied. "If Symmetry-Boy doesn't see that, then he's an idiot."

"River," Amaya scolded. "Don't call him that."

"It's true, though," he added.

Suddenly, someone knocked at the door, right at eight o'clock, not a minute before or a minute after.

Amaya ran down the rest of the stairs and opened the door.

Kid stood there, in his usual black attire.

"Hi, Kid," Amaya greeted with a smile.

"Amaya, you look absolutely beautiful," Kid complimented her, taking both of her hands and kissing them.

Amaya felt a blush rise into her face.

"Thanks," she replied. "Should we go, now?"

"Alright," Kid smiled, leading her out the door.

"What did you have planned for tonight?" Amaya asked, curiously.

"Nothing extravagant," Kid answered. "I planned several things, so you could help me pick. We can go see a movie at the theatre, or go for a walk in the park, or-"

"A walk in the park?" Amaya asked. "That sounds amazing."

For some reason, Amaya had always been drawn to parks. Maybe it was just nature in general, but she loved everything about them.

"If that's what you want, then we'll go for a walk in the park," Kid said, formally, a smile on his face. "If you will follow me."

Amaya laughed, and followed Kid's lead. They walked down the sidewalk, talking the entire time about everything. She told him about her past, how she had been taken in by a man when she was a child. How she met River. She didn't mention, however, that her father was a Kishin, or that she had a madness inside of her.

When they finally got to the park, they walked around on the concrete, Amaya reaching down and feeling the dew on the freshly cut grass. The stars were out in only half the sky, but the few that showed were beautiful.

Finally, after walking around for hours, they sat on the edge of a giant concrete fountain, and talked. Amaya took her shoes off and ran them over the grass.

"It's odd how something so simple as a walk in the park could be so eventful," Kid said, watching her.

"I've always loved parks," Amaya told him.

It was weird. Amaya hadn't thought about the madness all night, and it was usually at the front of her mind at all times.

She brushed it off.

Suddenly, the clouds drifted over toward them, and a loud crack sounded from the sky.

"I hope it doesn't rain," Kid said, watching the dark clouds with suspicion. "That would ruin everything."

The wind blew, and the skies opened up. The rain suddenly hit them, and then it started down pouring.

"I spoke too soon," Kid said in frustration.

They both stood up and started running toward the nearest tree. They both stood under a giant oak with thick branches.

"This should shelter us for a while," Kid told her, confidently.

Then the wind shifted directions, and blew the cold rain right at them.

"Come on, then," Kid said, and took off running down the sidewalk.

Amaya followed him, wondering where he was going.

Kid stopped in the middle of the street, looking around.

"This stupid rain is driving me crazy," Kid said, his hands on either side of his head. "It blows from one direction, and then another! Why doesn't it blow from both directions at the same time?"

Amaya caught up with him, hearing his sudden outburst, and started laughing.

When she reached him finally, she was laughing so hard, she could barely stand.

She could feel the madness trying to take over, but she mentally swatted it down.

"Why are you laughing?" Kid demanded, still getting pounded by the pouring rain.

"I don't know," Amaya replied. "I think you're funny."

"I am funny?" Kid repeated.

"Yes!" Amaya continued laughing, hands on her knees.

"I apologize that our date got ruined by the rain," Kid apologized.

"I like the rain," Amaya told him, her laughter finally subsiding. "I don't think it ruined our date at all."

"You don't?" Kid asked.

"No," Amaya replied.

They stood there in the storm for a while, the thunder and lightning engaging in combat around them.

"I'll walk you home," Kid said, taking her arm, with a smile.

"Alright," Amaya replied.

"Oh, and by the way, you look just as beautiful all wet from the rain as you do dry," Kid told her, matter-of-factly.

"Didn't harm my symmetry at all, hm?" Amaya teased.

"Your symmetry has nothing to do with it," Kid replied, and Amaya was surprised for a second. "I thought I was seeing your person as symmetrical this whole time, but I realize now I was actually sensing your soul," Kid said. "It is symmetrical as well. Maybe because you have found your true soul pairing, like Stein said. But whatever the reason, you're perfectly balanced, inside and out."

They arrived at her house, and Kid led her to the door.

"Would you like to come in and dry off?" Amaya asked.

"No, thank you. I would only have to get back out in it," Kid said. "And besides, I wouldn't want to impose on River. Men can be territorial at times, you know."

There was something in his eye.

"What do you mean?" Amaya asked.

"You'll find out, soon enough," Kid smiled. "Thank you for your lovely company."

"Thank you for yours," Amaya replied, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Then she turned back around and went inside, before something happened to ruin such a wonderful night.

She wished Kid were right. She wished she were perfectly balanced, inside and out.

But the madness inside of her was throwing her out of whack.

She wondered how Kid hadn't seen it.

...

Amaya had seen the madness inside of Stein, when they had resonated souls.

She had felt his soul dimension, not seen it. But she had felt the bleak emptiness inside of him.

The nothingness.

Now that she had actual experience of the madness, she could see why Stein was the way he was.

She could understand his obsession with dissection and his driving need to know how things worked.

The madness made a person feel completely out of control.

If Stein had been feeling the madness inside of him the whole time, Amaya could understand that he needed to know how everything worked in order to try to gain some understanding of how to control himself.

After a while, Amaya felt herself becoming almost jealous of Stein.

Hell, at least he had some sort of an out. Some sort of way to relieve the stress that madness caused.

Even though he came to class with more and more stitches, nobody else noticed his growing insanity.

"Maybe he's always been this crazy, he was just really good at hiding it," Black Star had said.

Funny.

Amaya had thought the same thing about herself before.

...

Finally, there came a point where Stein showed up to class with many more stitches than usual. They were small, and hidden, but Amaya was watching for them.

When his sleeve would rise.

Down his spine under his collar when he bent over.

On his neck.

Between his fingers.

Amaya would have nightmares about stitches, about cutting into her own flesh and peeling the skin away.

"I need to see how I look on the inside," she had kept saying to herself in her dream.

She would wake up at night, scared and nauseous.

She decided she had to do something about this. If the nightmares scared her, then she could only imagine how the real thing went.

...

The next day at class, Amaya went to Stein's room early. Maybe it was the madness, making her absurdly brave, like some kind of mind-altering drug, but she had made a decision.

Stein was grading papers or something of the sort when she walked in.

He didn't look up at her.

She walked all the way down the stairs, making as much noise as possible, but he still didn't glance her way.

"Professor Stein," Amaya said, and he froze in his work.

Finally, he looked up at her, his silver hair hanging in his face.

She stood beside him.

There was a new cut on his arm, newly stitched.

She put a hand on his sleeve.

"You need to stop hurting yourself," Amaya said, showing no emotion.

She could probably get expelled for doing something so crazy. Or at least dropped from his class. It wouldn't be the first time he'd threatened to drop students.

"Why does it concern you?" Stein asked, his glasses flashing in front of his exhausted green eyes.

"I'm worried about you. I know you have the madness, too. But every day you come to class with new stitches, and I'm worried. I have nightmares about cutting into myself and peeling away my skin," Amaya told him.

Under ordinary circumstances, she would never tell anyone something like this about her.

If madness hadn't been pumping through her veins, she probably wouldn't even have brought it to Stein's attention that she knew about his wounds.

"What do you suggest I do, then?" Stein asked, emotionlessly. "Madness has no cure."

"Take things apart instead," Amaya suggested.

"I already have," Stein replied.

"I'll bring you more things to take apart," Amaya said.

"No. Don't feel responsible for me. What I do is none of your concern," Stein replied, sternly. "Class doesn't start for ten more minutes. Go out and enjoy spending time with your friends." He said it like he'd suggested standing in the halls and drinking straight poison.

Amaya sighed and left the classroom, defeated.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, Amaya left for school extra early. She had a mission, and she planned to carry it out. No matter what.

She had to deal with this somehow.

Amaya left early and stood outside the school in the chilly dawn for an hour before the school opened.

Finally, about twenty minutes before Stein's class officially started, she saw him enter the building.

So.

He got to school around seven-forty every morning.

Good to know.

...

The next morning was when her actual plan was to be carried out. She had to plan everything down to the exact minute, or she would be caught.

She walked downstairs, early, and River eyed her curiously, from above his pancakes.

"Why do you have a backpack?" River asked her. "You never carry a backpack."

"Maybe I have things to carry," Amaya said to him.

They left for school soon thereafter, because Amaya insisted they get to school twenty-five minutes early.

River didn't know what was going on, but he agreed anyway.

...

Amaya ran into the school, carrying her backpack close to her chest. The halls were extremely empty. There weren't any teachers around, either, and the place felt abandoned.

The sound of her footsteps seemed to echo for miles, making her jumpy.

She spotted Stein's classroom, and approached the door, looking around guiltily.

She turned the knob, expecting it to be locked, but it wasn't.

Surprised, she swung the door open.

What kind of teacher just left their classroom unlocked?

Amaya walked in anyway and set eyes on his desk.

Reaching into her backpack, Amaya pulled out a small, electronic robot she'd bought at a store for smart people. The robot was supposed to do something cool, but Amaya hadn't been able to figure it out.

It had too many little gizmos and gadgets on it and Amaya had eventually lost interest.

She placed the robot on Stein's desk, right on top of his papers, where she knew he'd find it right away.

Then she sneaked back up the stairs into the hallway, and closed the door behind her.

When class started that day, Amaya pretended that everything was normal.

The robot was gone off of his desk, and Stein watched her suspiciously during class as he lectured, as if he thought something was going on, but wasn't exactly sure what.

Amaya felt triumphant.

...

Everyday, Amaya did this. She would sneak things that were easy to take apart in to Stein's class before he got there.

She gave him an old-fashioned pencil-sharpener one day.

The next, a stapler.

An alarm clock.

A set of mechanical pencils.

A Rubix-Cube.

A computer mouse.

She knew he was pissed at her by the looks he gave her during class, but she pretended not to notice and that everything was normal.

Finding ways to help Stein was helping her deal with her own madness.

And besides, it was working for him, too.

As far as she could tell, he never had anymore new stitches, and the newest ones started to fade, like they were never even there.

...

Amaya and River were standing in the hallways after class one day, arguing about whose turn it was to cook dinner that night, when Maka and Soul ran up to them.

"You guys wanna go with us on a hunt for some Kishin eggs?" Maka asked. "We're leaving now. Soul and I are so close to the total! I'm gonna make Soul a Death Weapon before you know it!" She pumped a fist in the air, excitedly.

"Who's all going?" Amaya asked.

"Us, Black Star and Tsubaki, Kid, Liz, Patti, and hopefully you guys. I got a clue about a bunch of Kishin eggs being in the area, and thought we could all go together!" Maka replied.

"Okay!" Amaya said, turning to River. "I'm ready to do some fighting! Guess I'll just have to cook tomorrow then!"

"Figures," River sighed.

"Let's go," Soul added, hands in his pockets.

"Hey, Soul, I heard it's dangerous to walk with your hands in your pockets," Amaya said. "If you fall, you wouldn't be able to catch yourself."

Soul just gave her a glance.

"I'll take my chances," he replied, cooly.

They all walked outside to meet the others.

"I'm pumped!" Black Star exclaimed, jumping up from his one-fingered push ups. "I'm ready to kick ass! Who's gonna be the next Death Weapon, Tsubaki?"

"Um..." Tsubaki trailed off.

"You are!" Black Star answered for her, pointing to the sky dramatically.

"Right," Tsubaki smiled happily.

"Where are these souls going to be?" Amaya asked Maka.

"I heard around the Death City square," Maka replied. "I don't know for sure, but I heard some kids in our class talking about how they wanted to go, but there would be too many of them."

"Oh," Amaya said. She heard River gulp beside her.

"Might as well go, then," Kid said, hands behind his back properly. He looked over at Amaya and smiled, respectfully.

They all started walking through the town, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.

The sun was getting lower in the sky as they walked around town.

When they reached the city square, it was completely empty. Not a soul in sight; not even a human one.

"Isn't this city usually busier than this?" Soul asked, hands still in his pockets.

"Yeah," Tsubaki replied.

"It's not like the other students to give false information like this," Maka added, studying the deserted area.

"Maybe they were talking about tonight?" Kid suggested.

"No," Maka said. "They were talking about right after school."

"Well, let's just wait around," Amaya replied. "I'm sure they'll show up sooner or-"

Suddenly, River launched himself at her, and they both went crashing onto the ground.

A long knife went slashing right above their heads, sticking in a crack in the rock wall behind them.

"Woah!" Black Star exclaimed.

They all turned around and saw a whole army of what looked like Kishin egg souls.

They were mostly men, with evil eyes, dripping smiles, bloody hands.

"Go!" Maka yelled, and all the weapons turned, being caught by their Meisters.

Amaya transformed into her scythe, ready for battle.

River held onto her tightly, and she could tell he was scared.

"They didn't say there were this many," Maka whispered to something Soul had told her. "I've never seen so many before-"

The men loomed closer to them.

"What are we waiting for?!" Black Star yelled, jumping in front of his team. "Nobody dares challenge me! I'll win every time!"

He lunged at the Kishin eggs, holding up his sword.

"Tsubaki! Enchanted sword mode!"

"Right!"

His sword flowed with soul wavelengths, as Black Star connected with the men.

Several went sprawling around, but they kept coming back, dragging their hands across the ground as they stood up.

Maka and Soul went next, diving in, slashing their way through.

Liz and Patti had transformed into the twin pistols. Kid whipped them up, upside down, and he gripped the triggers with his pinkies.

He grinned maliciously.

Shots rang out, as energy bullets sliced through the air, taking down several of the Kishin eggs.

Amaya and River jumped into action as well.

River spun around, bringing the scythe in circles, practically dismembering anyone who came near.

"More!" Maka gasped, and everyone looked up from their bloody fight.

Another league of Kishin eggs were coming.

"Why are there so many?" Kid asked, sounding flabbergasted. "Where are they coming from?"

Suddenly, a man grabbed the scythe from River's hands, and River turned around, instinctively punching and kicking the air.

The man held the scythe to his face and parted his cracked lips. Bringing his tongue from his mouth, he stared at the Amaya-scythe and licked it.

"This is her," he growled. "We found her."

River, appalled, was too stunned to move for a second.

Kid saw the scene and shot a few rounds into the men, but they only bucked back a bit, and kept standing.

The man gripped the scythe tightly, his eyes wild.

Amaya, on the inside of the scythe, was wondering how the man wasn't getting burned. Their soul wavelengths didn't match!

How had he touched her, much less licked her?!

Amaya concentrated on their souls, forced hers to be as far away from his wavelength as possible.

"Ah!" the man cried, finally dropping the scythe on the ground in pain.

Amaya transformed back, a bit weak from using so much energy.

The man reached for her again, but River ran to her.

He put an arm around her, protectively, glaring at the man, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

The man bent over, growling, his soul wavelength a thing of chaos, his fingers curled towards them.

Bang bang bang bang!

The man fell over, clutching his chest.

Kid twirled his guns and blew across them, the smoke curling in front of his face.

"Perfect shot," Kid congratulated himself.

He'd got the man twice on each side of his body.

"Symmetrical," River breathed, disbelieving.

"There's still more!" Maka cried, trying to take on a whole mob at once.

"Can you do it?" River asked Amaya, looking down at her worriedly.

"Of course!" Amaya replied, turning back into her scythe.

"Black Star! Tsubaki! Soul! Maka! Kid! Liz, Patti!" River yelled, as each of their eyes turned to look at him. He reared up, feeling his soul grow with their energy. "Back off! Quick!"

They all did, even Black Star, who usually wouldn't give up a fight that didn't end with death.

Amaya felt her and River's soul resonance; it was their only chance at escape. There were too many of them!

'Im actually surprised you didn't destroy the entire town.'

That sentence kept replaying itself inside Amaya's head. They could do this!

"Let's go! Soul resonance!" Amaya and River yelled.

The scythe connected at the tips to form a circle, and River's tattoo grew onto his face.

"Night rain!" River yelled, and he pointed the circle-scythe at the mob of Kishin eggs that were running toward them.

Soul energy, in the form of horizontal rain, was suddenly beating the mob down.

The men kept running at them, and each man would slowly disintegrate as the energy pounded into them.

The two screamed as their attack continued. They had to put as much into this as they could.


	9. Chapter 9

***Author's Note: Hello! Thanks for reading this far! Some crazy parts are coming up here shortly! I also would like to remind you that this story gets quite dark toward the end, in case you didn't get a chance to read my earlier notes. **

**Please follow and review! Thankssss!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Soul Eater. I only own my OCs! ***

In the middle of their attack, River noticed something.

Different.

His mind was suddenly sucked into Amaya's soul dimension.

She was standing there, in a large shirt and a pair of cut-off jean shorts, on a couch of some sort.

The room was silent, but also very perfect-looking.

All the furniture looked big and comfortable. There were pillows everywhere, and folded blankets.

The light was dim, but not too darkly.

But there was something... off about the room. He couldn't put his finger on it.

River walked into the room and looked at Amaya.

"What happened? Where'd the fight go?" River asked.

Amaya looked at him.

"It's still going on," she said. "I think I know why you're here."

"What do you mean?" River inquired. "I don't even know why I'm here."

"You can sense it inside me, can't you? And that's why our minds brought you here," Amaya said, tucking her legs underneath her.

"Sense it...?" River mumbled, looking around.

He finally realized what was so off about the room.

There was a large crack, across the floor, up the wall, dividing the whole place in half.

And...

River's eyes continued to search.

The corner was dark. Very dark.

There were a pair of eyes peeking out of the darkness, staring at him. Red eyes.

And an evil smile, growing, stretching, with sharp teeth, dripping with saliva and blood.

"The madness," River finally said.

"Yes," Amaya replied.

"I can sense it."

The two were silent for a second.

"I keep telling it no. Every day," Amaya said.

"That's good," River told her. "You have to keep telling it that."

"You being here makes it easier," Amaya replied. "I think that's why my mind dragged you here."

She stood up, and turned, facing the bright eyes in the corner.

"No!" She yelled. "No! No!"

River watched her, as her yelling went to screaming.

"NO! NO! You can't have me! You can't!"

...

When River opened his eyes, it was as if not even a second had passed. His hands were shaking on the scythe, and energy was still rebounding from the weapon.

It was suddenly as if River had no energy left inside of him.

His attack stopped, and he dropped to his knees on the ground.

Silence.

He weakly lifted his head, but there were no more Kishin eggs.

"Did... we get them all?" River asked, quietly.

"I think so," Maka replied from behind him.

"That was the coolest thing I've ever seen," Soul said, calmly.

Amaya transformed back into her human self, her hand linked with River's.

"What did that Kishin mean?" Amaya asked, her head bowed in worry. "He... He said he'd found me... Why were they even looking for me...?"

"Don't think about that, now," River said, helping her up onto her shaky legs.

"There are nine of us here," Black Star said. "But only five are weapons. And there are 110 souls."

"So we each get 22," Tsubaki smiled at him.

"I think River and Amaya should get however many they need first," Maka cut in. "They did most of the work. How many more Kishin eggs do you need before your witch's soul to make Amaya a Death Weapon?" She turned to River.

"No, we'll split them," River replied. "We did this as a team, we split them as a team."

"Are you sure?" Maka asked.

"Absolutely!" River said. "Right, Amaya?"

"Mhm!" Amaya smiled and nodded at them.

"Well... Alright," she agreed, hesitantly.

"Yeah!" Black Star exclaimed. "I knew I would win the whole time!"

"Yeah, right," Soul rolled his eyes, trying to walk away, but tripping on something and falling, smacking his face into the ground.

His hands were still in his pockets.

"I told you!" Amaya laughed, almost doubled over, hands on her knees.

"Let's pretend this never happened," Soul added, standing back up and wiping the dust from his clothes.

"Gotcha."

...

The nightmares were back for Amaya. Bad ones.

She didn't really know how to deal with them.

For some reason, they were even worse than the ones where she'd cut herself open. Hundreds of times worse.

They would always start out with Amaya fighting the Kishin eggs, but as a human. River was never around.

She would be fighting alone with all her strength, but more would keep coming until all her strength was sapped. She would be so exhausted, she could barely move.

Then, a man would grab her up and lick her face, his scratchy tongue pressing against her cheek.

"This is her, we found her," he would say, and keep licking her face and laughing until it drove her insane.

Her madness would kick in and she'd see things that were even more real than the dream was.

She would blink and blink, but her eyes would feel so dry. And a man would lower from the sky. He had three eyes, and white-blond hair.

He would laugh, and rows of pointy teeth would cut into each other.

"My daughter," he would say in breath that smelled like blood, grabbing her up and hugging her against his cold, scaly chest until she felt nauseous. "I've come back for you."

Then she'd wake up screaming, tossing in her sheets so badly, River would be trying to shake her awake.

Then, finally, she'd go with River to his room and they'd sleep in the same bed because Amaya would refuse to sleep alone.

In case she saw her father, and he really had come back for her.

And this happened every night.

...

Amaya never slept.

She became the most exhausted during class, but she still found time to bring Stein something before school every day.

And even though he started taking those things apart during class, too, his madness seemed to be catching up to him, as well.

Sometimes, he would sit in his chair and just laugh, before catching himself and stopping.

Another time, a kid named True Dagger fell asleep during class, and Stein woke him up with a large book dropped smack beside his head.

True Dagger jumped up like he'd been shot.

"You're dropped," Stein said, eerily calm. "Get out."

"Wh... What?" the guy asked, rubbing his eyes, sleepily.

Stein had started walking back down to his desk, but turned quickly and flung a dissection knife at the student.

It stuck into the seat by his face.

"I said, you have been dropped. Now get out," Stein repeated, something oddly alive in his usually exhausted eyes.

True Dagger looked at the knife imbedded into the cushion three inches from his face, grabbed up his books, and dashed from the room.

"If anyone else wants to sleep during class, do everyone a favor and get out now," Stein added.

Nobody moved a muscle.

"Good," Stein replied.

He gave them a written assignment, then sat at his desk, ripping computer paper into tiny pieces, and stapling them back together like a puzzle.

When time was about done for class, Stein dismissed them, looking a little better than he had earlier.

Amaya walked out into the halls with the rest of his students.

"Was it just me, or did Professor Stein seem to be in a really bad mood today?" Tsubaki asked.

"Something must really be bothering him," Maka added.

"He's completely bonkers," Black Star said, shaking his head sadly.

"Don't say that about him," Amaya pushed into Black Star's shoulder, angrily. "Just because you don't understand doesn't give you the right to judge people."

"I can judge whoever I want!" Black Star replied, indignantly, pointing at himself with his thumb. "Don't you know who I am?"

"Yeah but maybe there's more to the world than just Black Star!" Amaya exclaimed. "You're not everything, you know!"

"Yeah, right," Black Star didn't believe her. "Besides, what do you know about Loony? All he ever does is just sit there and twitch-"

Amaya slammed into Black Star, pushing him up against the wall.

"Don't start it. You'll lose, that I can promise you," Amaya threatened.

"Bring it on," Black Star replied. "You'll find out soon enough how powerful I am! You'll be the one who's losing!"

Amaya drew her shaking fist back, ready to punch him in the face, but someone caught her hand and stopped her.

She turned around and saw River.

"He's not worth it," River said. "We don't have a teacher here to supervise, we'll get in trouble."

"I'm not too worried about getting in trouble," Amaya said between clenched teeth. Black Star still stood there, allowing her to lever him against the wall, a cocky smirk on his face.

"Go ahead," he said. "Punch me."

Amaya put new tension into her muscles, ready to strike.

"Amaya," a voice said behind them. She turned and saw Stein, rounding the corner. "I need to speak with you."

He didn't even look twice at the scene before him.

Amaya glanced from him back to Black Star, before finally letting go of the front of his shirt.

"River's right," she spat. "You're not worth it."

She turned and walked to Stein, who led them out of the view of the other students.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Oh, I didn't really need you for anything," Stein replied, with a half-smile. "I just overheard your argument and decided to help get you out of it."

"How... much of it did you overhear?" Amaya inquired, curiously.

"Not much," he said, his glasses flashing again. "Just the important parts."

He put a hand to his chin, in thought.

"I think they're gone now," he motioned for her to leave. He nodded once, and walked down the opposite hallway, away from them.

"Well... That was weird," Amaya said to herself.

She turned and walked back down the hallway she'd almost fought in, and River was waiting for her.

"I'm glad you didn't waste your time on Black Star," River said.

"I wish I had," Amaya replied. "That brat deserves a good kicking every once in a while."

"What did Stein want?" River asked.

"Nothing. He heard that I was in a fight, and was trying to help me get out of there," Amaya explained.

"He heard everything," River added, waving a hand as if it were obvious.

"What do you mean?" Amaya stuttered, running to catch up to him.

"He walked out of the class right behind us," River said. "You didn't see him?"

"No."

"Well, he stopped in front of his door to close it behind us. He couldn't have been that far behind," River suggested. "I bet he heard everything."

"Oh, great," Amaya said sarcastically.

Stein probably thought she was weird.

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" Amaya asked.

River shrugged.

"I don't know. I wanted to see what would happen."

"Well you almost got Black Star killed," Amaya replied.

"Remember, I'm the one who tried to stop you."

"I remember," Amaya rolled her eyes. "You know what else I remember?"

"What?"

"It's your turn to cook dinner tonight!"

River groaned dramatically and they both walked outside into the sunshine.


	10. Chapter 10

That night, Amaya sat on her bed in her room, her lights out.

She had turned in for the night, and so had River. They were both exhausted. Their minds were a bit connected in that way; if one was tired, the other was too.

It was storming outside, and lightning flashed through her window curtains.

Amaya couldn't sleep though. She hadn't been able to sleep for a long time now- at least a couple weeks. Sometimes she would doze between classes, or in the afternoon after school.

But late at night, if she tried to sleep, she'd wake up screaming because of the nightmares.

Amaya's eyes felt like lead.

She'd realized something.

Her madness was always the hardest to control when she was tired. When she was wide awake, she seemed more sound of mind.

Maybe, Amaya thought, she should try to get some more sleep. She could really use it.

Amaya settled down into her bed, watching the lightning flash, and listening to the soothing sound of rain falling outside.

Her eyes drifted shut.

"My daughter..." A voice was in her head, quiet and soft like a whisper. A dream. She dreamt of the white-haired man.

He reached around the shoulders of her dream-self and whispered in her ear. She could imagine his pointed teeth, cutting into his gums whenever he closed his mouth. The blood dripping onto his tongue.

"Come with me, my daughter," the man whispered to her. "We can be so powerful together."

She felt fingernails clench into her shoulder, forcing her around.

His eyes were in front of his face, bloodshot and crazy.

His breath was rotten- he kept staring at her, his grin growing wider and wider. His eyes getting more insane.

He lunged at her-

Amaya woke up, screaming, her legs tangled in her sheets. She crashed on to the floor, still thrashing around, fighting away her dream.

"Amaya!" she heard River's voice beside her. He put a hand on her arm, and crouched down.

She opened her eyes and saw him there, shirtless and wearing his pajama bottoms. His birthmark was prominent against his collarbones.

"Amaya, are you alright?" he asked, gently.

She bit her lip, shaking her head slowly, trying to keep her tears at bay.

She'd tried to be strong against everything. But it all just kept piling up, more and more, on top of each other. She didn't even feel like the same girl sometimes. She'd be angry one day, happy the next, then she'd turn stark raving mad.

"Do you want to sleep in my room again?" River asked, rubbing her shoulder.

Amaya stood up, nodding.

"What are these nightmares even about?" River inquired, as they made their way back to his room in the dark.

Amaya gulped.

"My father..." She replied in a whisper.

River opened his door, and let her in first.

Her bare feet padded softly against his cold wood floors.

She laid down on his bed and he followed.

"It'll be okay," River told her. "They're just dreams."

She turned over to face him and he pulled her close, wrapping one arm around her. Usually, when they slept in the same room, they'd stay apart from each other. They'd never actually fallen asleep with each other.

But tonight, Amaya laid her head on his bare chest, feeling his heart beat against her cheek. She felt protected.

Let her father come and get her, then.

For now she had River. He was right here beside her, keeping her safe.

The curtains lit up with the angry weather outside, but Amaya breathed easy.

Her head lolled to the side, and she fell asleep for the first time in over a week.

"Night," River whispered, but she was already out.

...

Amaya sneaked into Professor Stein's room and set a flashlight on his desk.

That would be easy to take apart. Amaya had almost started taking things apart, herself, desperate for an out.

At least she wasn't as tired this morning, because of River.

Amaya smiled and turned away from his desk.

"Aha," the lights flicked on, and Stein stood at the top of the stairs, one hand in a pocket, his expression blank.

"Professor Stein," Amaya gasped.

"I told myself I was going to find out if it were you leaving items on my desk," Stein said, a mad look in his eye. "I thought... maybe I was going crazy."

He laughed once, loudly.

"Yes, I leave things on your desk for you," Amaya admitted, hugging her books against her chest.

"Why?" he barked.

"Finding things to leave for you helps me deal with my own madness," Amaya replied.

Stein walked down the stairs, slowly. Almost intimidatingly.

"Your own madness," Stein repeated, blinking.

"Yes. Every day I fight it," Amaya said.

"Why do you fight it when you know that one day you'll finally lose?" Stein asked, in monotone. "That all of your struggles were for nothing?"

"You told me to, Professor," Amaya replied. "You told me to fight it and never give up. So that's what I'm going to do."

Stein blinked, as if he were trying to clear his head. He put a hand to his temple.

When he looked back up, he seemed more in control.

"I have a question to ask you, Professor Stein," Amaya added.

He looked at her expectantly.

"With your madness... do you have nightmares?" Amaya asked, quietly.

Stein turned the bolt at the side of his head in an attempt to clear his mind.

"Only when I'm awake," he replied, seriously.

"I have these dreams..." Amaya started, feeling the urge to tell someone. "They involve my father, telling me to come back with him."

"Your father," Stein repeated, stopping the rotation of his cranial appendage and studying her carefully. "Describe him."

"Wh-what?" Amaya asked.

"Describe him; what man do you see in your dreams?" Stein asked again.

"He has," Amaya gulped, "three eyes, white-blond hair. Pointed teeth. He smells like blood."

Stein watched her carefully as she spoke, his expression guarded.

"Those aren't dreams," Stein told her, calmly. "Your father must still be alive, projecting himself into your subconscious, trying to send you a message."

"Still alive?!" Amaya gasped.

"Yes," Stein replied. "Now that I think back to that night, Spirit never got your father's soul. He could have found refuge and healed over the years."

"What?!" Amaya reared back, in alarm, a blue color coming into her face.

"How long have you been having these dreams?" Stein asked.

"A couple of weeks," Amaya replied, weakly.

"I'm surprised you're not dead already," Stein said, pushing his glasses up. "It's unusual for a Kishin to wait so long."

"What do I do?" Amaya asked, worried.

"Never be alone," Stein answered. "Have someone with you at all times. When you sleep, don't be in the room by yourself. And whatever you do, don't go mad." He gave her a pointed look. "The more the madness eats at you, the more willing you'll be to accept irrational ideas."

Amaya listened to him with wide eyes. He reached onto his desk and picked up the flashlight she'd left there.

He quietly began taking it apart, setting the pieces in a row.

"And practice fighting," Stein added, looking back up at her. "Kishin have god-like abilities. If you want to have any chance at survival, you'd better start training. Excessively."

"Oh no," Amaya groaned, putting her head in her hands. "Why do things like this always happen to me?"

"Here," Stein handed her a piece of blank paper, like the kind he'd been ripping up. "You're going to need this."


	11. Chapter 11

Amaya stood in the field away from the school, at five in the afternoon. It was a nice day, with blue skies and green grass. River stood beside her, their hands intertwined.

"Is he even going to show up?" River asked her, curiously.

Stein had told them both to meet him in the field around five, so he could give them pointers on training.

Amaya had filled River in on everything that had been going on: the nightmares of her father, Stein's suspicions, how she couldn't be alone anymore.

"I'm here," Stein said, calmly, approaching, his hands in his coat pockets. "Are you both ready to train?"

"Yes," Amaya and River replied, watching him. Stein stopped a few feet away from where they stood, appraising them. He seemed much more sober and lucid today, Amaya noticed.

"We'll start with team tactics, then," Stein added. "After today, you both will be stronger together."

He looked at them.

"You actually need emotional training as well as physical, but we don't have time for that now," Stein said, as if their emotional stability was not important. "Today, we will start with prolonging your soul wavelength attacks. Your soul resonance attack, Night Rain, will be twice as strong. Twice as powerful." Stein paused, and considered them. "And then we will move on to learning a new tactic. A new move. One in which Amaya won't have to turn into her weapon to do."

Stein looked at them for a second, seeing if they were going to object.

"Get ready for a long day," Stein said, taking his hands from his pockets.

He smiled mischievously.

...

"No, no," Stein called, watching Amaya and River try to learn their new move.

They'd already mastered Night Rain, and their attack lasted much longer than it used to.

Both Amaya and her partner were almost exhausted, covered in sweat, mentally drained as well.

"You have to try to connect soul wavelengths without becoming a weapon, without fighting," Stein instructed. "I've learned. Once one of you has it, it'll be much easier for the other to follow suit. I don't expect you both to learn straight away. But I do expect you to actually try." His glasses flashed as usual.

"Don't you think you're being a little hard on us?" Amaya breathed heavily. "We've been doing this for hours!"

The sun was setting already, and the moon was starting to rise.

"You'll get a break when you're able to connect soul wavelengths without Amaya turning," Stein reiterated.

"When will we ever have to do that?" Amaya asked sarcastically.

"It doesn't matter when. What matters is that it makes you stronger," Stein replied. "Now try again."

Amaya turned back to her Meister.

She held her hand up, frustrated.

River put her hand to his, and Amaya could feel their energy starting up again, like an angry ocean.

"Let's go. Soul resonance," they groaned together.

Their wavelengths expanded from theirselves and inched closer together.

They were both shaking with the enormous amount of energy it took to try to move their wavelengths.

How had Stein been able to do it so easily?

Suddenly, their soul wavelengths snapped back apart, just as they were about to connect.

Amaya's hand dropped down, and she let out an exhausted breath.

"No," Stein said, walking over to them. He moved past River and held his hand out to Amaya. "You guys aren't concentrating. Here. Let me show you."

Amaya just stared at him for a second. Why was he so angry? He said himself he didn't expect them to learn straight away.

She slowly raised her hand to his.

Stein seemed to gather up his energy.

"Listen," Stein said. "Do you feel how the energy is slowly ebbing? You don't force the wavelength all at once. You have to be able to feel your partner's soul before you try to connect with it."

Amaya felt Stein's soul, slowly inching toward her own wavelength. She felt the continuous strength of his guidance.

Then, her soul seemed to get sucked into his soul.

Stein removed his hand before Amaya could get another glimpse into his mind, and their souls snapped apart.

"Now try again," Stein said.

Amaya took a shaky breath and held her hand toward River.

He did the same and the pair tried again.

It was still difficult, even when Amaya tried inching and ebbing with her soul.

Stein stood beside her and grabbed her other hand, holding it out in front of her.

"Imagine your free hand is your soul," Stein said, as Amaya and River still struggled. He slowly moved her hand forward, in an upward arch. "Move and expand your soul that way. Try again."

Amaya closed her eyes again, trying to sense River's soul before she tried connecting to it.

She felt it finally, and tried expanding her wavelength toward him.

Stein watched curiously.

Amaya felt her soul being drawn towards River's suddenly, and struggled to keep their souls aligned. Just as Amaya thought she'd lost them, their wavelengths popped together.

They had done it! Resonated without a weapon!

Amaya opened her eyes and looked at River.

"We did it," River said quietly, as if any louder would break their resonance.

Stein smiled.

"Congrats. You deserve a ten minute break."

Amaya and River removed hands, their wavelengths breaking.

They grinned, glad to have finally accomplished something.

"Maybe now if you two go up against a Kishin, you'll actually stand a chance."

...

That night, Amaya and River literally dragged their feet on the way home and crashed as soon as they got in the door.

They were completely drained: emotionally, physically and mentally.

Amaya listened as the clock struck eleven.

They would have to wake up in seven hours for school.

Seven didn't seem like a large enough number. They'd almost trained that long.

Amaya watched as River dragged himself onto the couch with a groan.

She only rolled onto her back and fell asleep right there on the floor.

And she was so exhausted, she didn't have any dreams that night.

Not even of her Kishin father.

Stein's last words to them before they left had been, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

Even though training hadn't killed Amaya, she didn't feel much stronger.

In fact, she sort of felt like a bowl of jell-o.

A big, blobby, jiggly, weak bowl of jell-o.

She closed her eyes for the night.

...

Stein sat in his house, too afraid to sleep.

His madness was taking it's toll on him. He'd only ever let his insanity rein once before, and he'd managed to pull out of it.

But this time... This time the madness was taking over so much more quickly.

It was the girl.

Amaya.

Because she was half-Kishin, she radiated a madness wavelength. Just like Asura. Just like Marie.

And now, because his body was familiar with the madness, it was overshadowing his mind.

Like moving back in to an old home.

Stein honestly tried to force the insanity away.

He had to help Amaya.

He couldn't let her madness wavelength get to him. He was her teacher, damn it. He was going to help.

And if that meant suffering through classes and after-school training, then so be it.

She was going through what he was, too, after all. She had the madness inside of her.

SLAM

Stein looked over to where the noise was coming from.

The door. It had shut by itself.

Or, had it?

Maybe it was in his mind.

Stein grabbed the flashlight the girl had left for him, and slowly took it apart again.

"I have to hold myself together," he murmured.

There was a needle and thread in his drawer, fifty feet away, and he could cut his bicep open.

But he'd made himself stop that.

He'd needed to stop.

Stein hoped Amaya's father wouldn't find her. She was extremely powerful. If she stayed with the academy, she would be alright.

She didn't even need many more Kishin eggs until she could become a Death scythe.

Suddenly, someone was standing in front of Stein.

It was a kid, in a white jacket.

"Oh. It's you again," Stein said, in monotone. "Well. It's me again."

The kid looked down at Stein with something like pity in his eyes.

"If I had known that this is what I would grow up to be, I would have ended it a long time ago," the kid said.

"Don't say that," Stein replied, calmly.

"You're so calm about this," the kid said. "I'm basically telling you that we were pathetic as a kid, and we're pathetic as an adult. What's the point?"

Stein looked up at him through hair hanging in his face.

"But this time I know you're just in my head," Stein replied. "Just a figment of my imagination."

"That doesn't mean that what I say isn't true."

He had Stein on that one.

Stein lowered his head, feeling the tendrils of shame grip his stomach.

"And," the kid continued, "we're going through all this suffering for no reason. We have nothing to live for. You, Stein, have no wife, have no children. Have nothing. You're just alone."

"I'm not alone," Stein defended weakly.

"Who do you have then, besides me?" The kid-Stein asked.

"I have my students. Amaya. Spirit. Marie." Stein felt as if he were pleading.

"Marie left a long time ago," the kid said, harshly. "Your students think you're insane. Spirit is afraid to be in the same room with you. And Amaya is half-Kishin. She brings out your madness. How can you depend on someone who literally drives you crazy, day by day?"

"You're wrong," Stein exclaimed, watching his past self with angry eyes.

"Am I?" the kid asked, crossing his arms.

Stein had forgotten how adamant these hallucinations were.

"You're not real. Nothing you say is true," Stein insisted, shaking his head so hard, his glasses fell onto the floor.

He was quiet, staring down onto the criss-crossed floor, his hands trembling as they sat on his kneecaps.

When he looked back up, his past self was gone.

Breathing deeply, feeling a mix of sadness and relief, Stein slowly put the flashlight back together again.


	12. Chapter 12

***Author's Note: Hi! :-) This is where things start to get a bit darker! It picks up a lot from here! For those wondering about Kid, he IS the love interest, so don't worry! ^_^ Please comment/review and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!***

Amaya and River were getting stronger together. She could tell.

As they walked down the hall, Amaya could tell what River was thinking. She could feel his mind working, sense the direction of his thoughts.

When they were at home, they would speak at the same time, stopping to let each other talk first, start again, then burst out laughing.

"It's like we're the same person nowadays," River had said, chuckling.

Stein had been right.

Training HAD made them stronger.

Amaya had been doubtful it would even work, much less make them stronger, but it had.

And, Amaya bet if she and River soul resonated anytime soon, that would be more powerful as well.

River wouldn't let Amaya go anywhere or do anything by herself.

If Amaya had to use the bathroom, River would wait outside the door. They sat together at lunch. They walked home together. Stayed at home together.

And sometimes Stein would catch them after class and tell them they would train after school.

They were really coming along.

...

That night, Amaya couldn't sleep. Her muscles and her mind were completely exhausted.

She and River had trained with Stein again earlier.

He had taught them several different tactics. How to resonate souls without touching. An energy technique that allowed River to run while doing Night Rain, so he could attack moving targets.

Even though Amaya was glad that they were getting stronger, she was still exhausted.

And she was afraid to sleep, because of her nightmares.

She could still feel the madness eating away at her mind.

The more she recognized the madness, the stronger it became.

How did River manage to stay so calm all the time?!

And how had Stein managed to contain his madness for so long?

Amaya's breaths came in short gasps, as she tried to stop the insanity from building up within her chest.

"Aha!" she gasped uncontrollably, hugging herself to hold herself together.

But it wasn't working.

Her mind just seemed to fog right up. She couldn't concentrate.

"I knew I wasn't strong enough to stop it," Amaya breathed, doubled over in mental strain.

She needed an out of some sort.

Something to stop the pain and chaos.

She couldn't keep living like this.

And now, at this time of night, she couldn't take something to put on Stein's desk.

Amaya's mind seemed to snap, and she ran into the kitchen.

Flipping one of the lights on, she yanked open a drawer and pulled out a small paring knife.

She held it up in front of her wild eyes, watching the light gleam off the sharp blade.

Amaya breathed deeply, just staring for a second.

This. This was an out.

This was what Stein did to take his mind off the chaos.

She slowly lowered the blade to her arm and set the point onto her skin.

But... Did she really want to follow in Stein's footsteps?

She would end up scarred, stitched.

Turn her body into a science experiment.

Something she could take apart and sew back together like a rag doll.

Hurt herself physically every night until it became an addiction.

She would be in pieces.

Like in her nightmares.

Amaya took the knife and watched the tip poke at her flesh.

With a shaky sigh, she picked the knife up and put it in the sink.

She leaned against the counter, the madness still ebbing against her mind.

What could she do?

Stein had told her the more the madness ate at her, the more willing she'd be to accept irrational ideas.

And now, here she was, almost cutting into her flesh like him; and the cutting hadn't even done anything for Stein. Why should she assume it would do anything for her?

Maybe she should try getting some sleep.

Maybe if she were more rested, she'd be able to think clearly.

Her arms still crossed tightly, Amaya walked back into her bedroom, hoping she wouldn't go completely crazy in the night.

...

Her wishing hadn't worked.

She was having a nightmare. Just like always. Except this time, the nightmare was so much more real.

She dreamt that she was walking down the street. It was night.

It reminded her of the date she'd had with Kid. The stars were out and there was a nice, cooling wind.

But she felt that something was coming.

For her.

Amaya turned around, frantically, trying to find who was coming, but the more she turned, the more she felt enveloped in the night.

Then, suddenly, arms wrapped around her, pulling her close against a hard, bloody body.

Amaya flailed her arms, screaming, captured.

"Come back with me," a rough, voice growled into her ears.

She felt the hot, damp breath on her ear and she turned around to face her attacker.

Amaya's breath caught in her throat as she stared into the eyes of her Kishin father.

His face was pale, his three eyes were black and threatening. His teeth dropped blood down his pointed chin.

His fingernails gripped her arm in an attempt to keep her near him.

"My daughter," his growl seemed so loud in her shocked ears. "Come with me. We are so powerful. So powerful together. We could do anything."

Amaya knew by this point, she would usually wake up.

But now, now she knew that this was really her father.

Stein had told her he was projecting himself into her dreams.

Amaya had to tell her father no. She had to let him know she wasn't going with him.

She didn't belong with him at all.

Amaya looked up into his eyes. He had normal eyes where his eyes were supposed to be. But in the center of his forehead, there was an extra. It was vertical, and seemed to glow with an internal light.

She took in a shaky breath.

"No," she wavered. "I'm not going with you."

The Kishin father stared at Amaya as if he would snap and kill her within an instant. His gaze slowly became filled with the familiar madness.

"You won't come with me?" he asked, his deep, gruff voice rumbled.

"You won't let me show you what real strength is? What real power feels like as it pumps through your heart?"

"No," Amaya said, gripping the arms that gripped her like it would keep her father from ripping her head off her shaking shoulders. "I'm not like you."

"If you won't come with me," his growl warned her as he stared intimidatingly into her wide eyes, "then I will make sure you have nothing left to stay for."

Her father huffed a breath out, blood flying from his mouth, and he released his grip on her.

Amaya turned and ran as fast as she could, down the deserted streets, the moon laughing his bloody laugh up in the dark endless night.

...

Amaya sat up straight in bed, gasping for breath as if she had just actually finished running away from her father.

She was shaking so badly she could barely see. Her teeth were chattering as if she were freezing, and Amaya felt adrenaline coursing through her body.

Her father. He'd held her so tightly, trying to keep her still. He'd smelled so strongly like blood. His teeth seemed more dangerous than any kitchen knife.

And he'd let her go.

That was the scary part.

Amaya climbed out of bed, her shaking legs almost collapsing beneath her.

She felt the tears flow down her face as she searched for River's room.

Her feet padded quietly on the floors as she opened the door and walked into the dark bedroom.

Amaya suddenly had the irrational fear that her father was waiting for her by the bed.

Waiting.

That she would be snatched into his despicable arms before she made it to safety.

This fear immobilized Amaya.

She couldn't even breathe.

"River!" Amaya sobbed quietly. "River!"

She doubled over, sobs wracking her body and her tears fell onto the floor.

"Amaya?" she heard River's voice ask.

The lamp beside his bed flicked on, and he was wide awake. He sat up in bed, his blond hair pointing every which direction. He looked at her with wide eyes. One gray eye, one gold eye. Filled with confusion, and so much fear.

"Amaya!" He bolted out from between his sheets and was next to her in a second, holding her hand. "Amaya! Are you alright? What happened?"

"I- I-" she sobbed, her eyes shut, tears running down her face. "H-had another dream- about- m-my father..."

River held her left hand with his left and put his free hand around her shoulders, in a hug.

"Hey," he whispered consolingly. "Hey, it's alright, you're fine."

He helped her walk to the bed.

She sat down, her shoulders still wracked with cries.

"Here, lay down," River told her, wrapping the blankets around her shaking body.

He curled up beside her, taking her hands in his.

"Ssh, it's alright, it was only a dream," River whispered.

Amaya pulled closer to his warmth, and rested her head against his chest. She always felt so safe when she was near his reassuring serenity.

Amaya's teeth chattered still, and her dream slowly started to fade from her mind.

"It's alright, you're safe," River repeated quietly, as he ran a hand over her hair for comfort. "Everything's gonna be okay."

Amaya just breathed evenly and listened to River's steady heartbeat against her cheek.

"Amaya," River whispered to her, and she pulled from her exhaustion to listen. "I love you."

It seemed so natural to Amaya that River would love her. But neither one had ever told the other before. They'd never uttered that sentence to each other before in their entire lives. They'd known each other for ten years. They were closer to each other than they'd been to their own families. But one had never said this to the other before.

Not once.

Amaya wondered about this for a moment, and took a shaky breath.

"I love you, too," Amaya replied, and closed her eyes.

River still ran his hand over her hair, comfortingly. He listened to her deep breathing, wondering how their lives would have turned out if they hadn't transferred to the academy.

Finally, once he was sure that Amaya was asleep, he let his eyes drift shut.

He let the sound of her light breathing lull him into the dark that would help him clear his mind.

And they slept.


	13. Chapter 13

*** Author's note: WARNING: This chapter contains graphic descriptions of character death that may be disturbing to some readers! Please read at your own discretion! **

**Please review and let me know what you think! ***

Professor Stein was slipping yet again, Amaya noticed a couple of days later in class.

He would teach most of the time, but a good halfway into the lecture, he would veer off-topic and start talking about dissections.

He would walk to his desk, rambling, tearing paper into shreds, taking apart the pencil sharpener, dismantling his chair when the pencil sharpener didn't help.

He would scratch his fingernails across the chalkboard over and over with one hand, turning the bolt in his head the wrong direction, counter-clockwise.

And then, when class was finally over, he would say, "Please just get out of my sight."

Amaya was scared that something in the world was horribly wrong.

And she didn't know how to fix it.

...

Stein watched his students leave his classroom, feeling strong relief at first, and then guilt secondly.

The madness was affecting how he taught his class, and that couldn't happen.

He had to do something.

Amaya's madness wavelength was growing stronger each day, attacking his sanity.

And, on top of that, her Kishin father was growing closer to them. And he radiated his own madness wavelength.

So Stein's fragile stability was being assaulted by not one, but TWO madness wavelengths.

What had he done to deserve such torture?

Amaya's small gifts each morning had stopped helping. He felt as if he'd need to take apart several things to find any relief whatsoever.

He needed to take apart large things.

Stein had already dismantled his refrigerator and put it back together at home that morning.

He couldn't take much more.

He was taking the madness-suppressant pills lord Death had given him, but they weren't working.

They had worked for the students, though.

Stein didn't understand. It didn't make any sense.

Why wouldn't the pills work for him?!

Stein scratched his nails across the chalkboard, trying to shock his attention into thinking about something other than the madness.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Amaya and River, watching him from the doorway.

He must have been a pathetic sight.

Sprawled out on the floor, back against the wall, fingernails frantically scratching the chalkboard, chair in pieces three feet away.

"Professor?" he heard Amaya ask, quietly.

Stein felt his lips tremble, as he held back a mad grin.

"Are you alright?" Amaya asked him.

Stein slowly lowered his hand from the chalkboard.

"Yes," he replied, desperately trying to sound rational. "I'm alright."

"Maybe... Maybe you should go home, Professor," Amaya suggested. "Try to get some sleep."

"I can't sleep," Stein said after a second. "When I close my eyes, I have no conscious. I am all subconscious and my madness has no limitations."

"What does that mean?" Amaya asked.

"Do you want to train after school?" Stein inquired, looking up at them with wide, green eyes.

"Train?!" Amaya gasped. "No. Professor Stein, you're in no shape to be training us! You need to go home and rest!"

"Rest is not what I need," Stein answered. "What I need is a distraction."

Amaya watched him, with understanding in her eyes.

Stein slowly raised a hand, letting it linger in the air, the muscles in his arm twitching.

Then, he slapped himself in the face.

Amaya and River flinched at the sharp sound of flesh against flesh.

Stein's glasses fell from his nose, and he looked down at the floor for a second.

Silence.

When he looked back up, there was a large red handprint on his cheek.

"There," Stein finalized, standing up and shaking his head. "That's better."

His eyes seemed slightly less frantic than before, Amaya noticed.

"I'll see you two after school," Stein added, in monotone.

Then, he turned and set to work on putting his chair back together.

He would help them both.

Stein heard the pair leave his classroom quietly.

Amaya was in danger.

He would help her if it killed him.

...

It was five o'clock, and Amaya waited in the clearing where they always trained.

Her hand was locked with River's, and they were quiet, a mutual understanding between them.

They both knew that Stein was in no mental condition to train them. They were not expecting to learn anything today.

They were both only here to provide Stein with a distraction.

Amaya held River's hand as if she would float away into space if it didn't anchor her to the ground.

The wind blew fiercely.

Maybe it was going to storm.

"Hello," Stein greeted as he approached them.

The man seemed calm.

But was he really?

"Hello," Amaya and River replied.

As soon as Stein stepped toward them, Amaya could feel something in the air.

It didn't have anything to do with the teacher, but it had approached around the same time.

There was something... familiar in the space around them all.

"Did you feel that?" Stein asked them, looking around with a curious eye.

"Yes," Amaya breathed.

It was a wavelength.

Someone was coming toward them.

To the clearing.

Suddenly, Stein dropped to his knees, hands flat on the ground in front of him.

His body shook as if he were seizing, but then Amaya heard the laughter escaping his lips.

It was the crazed, maniacal laughter of...

Madness.

"Hahaha!" Stein lifted his head and laughed to the sky, his eyes glowing green, his mouth stretched in an abnormally wide grin.

"What is going on?" River asked her in a whisper.

"It's my father," Amaya replied, fear rooting her to the spot. "He's coming."

Suddenly, wind ripped across them, and a man entered the clearing from directly in front of the pair.

Amaya gasped, drawing her arm in front of her as if she'd been physically assaulted.

He looked exactly as in her dream.

Terrifying.

But. What was he doing here?!

Her father's eyes locked with her own, a thirsty look in his pupils. He raised his head a bit as the dim light filtered across his evil expression. He wore black robes that billowed about him. As he stared at Amaya, his upper lip curled back in a snarling grin.

"I've come to bring you home," he growled.

He lifted his arm, crooked fingers pointed to Amaya.

"Take my hand," he said.

Amaya shook her head, her hair flying in her face.

"No! I'm not going with you! I refuse to be like you! I'm not evil! I'm not like you!" she screamed.

The Kishin stared at her for a second, then gave a slow-growing smile.

"You will be."

He lunged.

"Amaya! Now!" River yelled, and she turned into her weapon.

River caught her, and spun around, using the end of the scythe to push the Kishin away.

Amaya's father fell against the ground, but jumped back up, lunging again. He pulled a long knife from his side and stabbed at the air around River, but the boy twisted, avoiding the blade.

The Kishin raised a hand toward them, and the ground seemed to quake.

River was tossed on to his back, knocking the air out of his chest.

"Come on! We can do this!" Amaya yelled her thoughts into River's mind.

The boy got up, swinging the scythe frantically at the Kishin.

The end of the blade cut into the Kishin's arm, but it didn't seem to faze it.

"We're going to have to do Night Rain!" Amaya thought to River. "It's our only chance!"

River just needed one second to prepare for soul resonance, but the Kishin wouldn't give them that opportunity.

"You will be my daughter!" The Kishin growled at Amaya.

River dodged the attacks the monster was throwing at him, sliding across the ground, the dirt rising up around his face.

The Kishin threw some sort of energy orb at River, hitting him straight in the chest. Another orb shot him in the leg, knocking his balance off.

The boy was thrown back, slamming into the dirt, his leg making a loud cracking noise.

"Ah!" River groaned, loudly, his breathing stopped. He clacked his teeth together and strained his muscles to stop the pain.

The Kishin was above them so quickly, his hand pointed at River's face.

"River!"

Amaya transformed suddenly, knocking the Kishin's hand away from River's face, an energy rocket shooting from his palm in the opposite direction.

The Kishin flipped Amaya over his shoulder, and she landed in the dirt face-up, stars circling her vision.

She sat up too quickly, but saw everything happen in slow motion...

the Kishin putting a hand on River's face. The wind ripping around them.

The boy looked up to the monster, his eyes wide with fear and anticipation.

The Kishin reared his head back and laughed, as he ran his sword through River's stomach.

"Noooo!" Amaya screamed, reaching a hand toward her soul match.

She felt a twinge in her own stomach, as if the soul wavelength that connected them had been severed.

Silence.

It seemed in that moment, Amaya became overly-aware of everything.

The wind pushed her forward, as if she were falling.

She could still hear Stein's uncontrollable laughter behind her.

The Kishin's laughter joined Stein's, although they laughed for different reasons.

Amaya watched the scene before her as if she weren't in her own body, but floating around in the air.

The Kishin paused, then withdrew the sword from River's stomach.

Blood poured from his wound, and the boy held his hands around the hole as if he could somehow catch his life as it escaped him.

The Kishin turned toward Amaya, with a grin, his evil eyes seeming to light up.

"Now. You have nothing to stay for."

Her father was gone. He disappeared into the wind. Like he was never there.

"RIVER!" Amaya screamed, running to him as fast as she could. She put a hand behind his shoulders as soon as he fell backwards.

His head turned up in her direction, his breath so faint.

He looked up at her, his two-toned eyes draining.

"River, no, please," Amaya begged, holding his hand with her free one. It was so weak in her palm, and slick with his warm blood. "Please, River, don't leave me. You're all I have."

She felt the tears burn behind her eyes.

River looked up at her, his face so pale against the blood-covered ground around him.

His lips quivered as he tried to speak.

"You know... I'll always be with you," he whispered, before the blood ran from his mouth.

He gave her the smallest smile she'd ever seen him give.

Then, his peaceful soul ceased.

His strong heartbeat, which had saved her own more times than she could count, stopped beating.

His fingers went limp against hers, and his head fell to the side.

"No, River, no!" Amaya yelled, cradling him against her. "You can't give up! You're the strongest person I know! I love you, River! You can't leave me, please!"

Amaya looked over at Stein, who was still laughing on the ground, drowning in his own madness.

"Stein! Please! You have to save him! He's dying!" Amaya begged, still holding River's body against her own. "Please Stein!" She lowered her head and let her chin sink against her chest.

She cried loudly when she realized that Stein was so far gone into his own world that he couldn't even hear her. "Please," Amaya sobbed, her eyes closed.

Her tears fell freely, with no shame or guilt.

Suddenly, there was a blue light, shining on her face, and she looked up.

It was River's soul.

The blue-white orb was floating beside her, just above River's lifeless body.

His soul. It was so large and strong. She could feel how powerful and loving he was. She could feel River, as if he were still alive.

Amaya reached out with one hand, and picked up his soul.

There was still a way that a part of River could always be with her, just as he had promised with his last breath.

Amaya took his soul, stared with tearful eyes into the glory that was still River.

And she put the soul to her mouth, swallowing it whole with one gulp.

Maybe his soul would be able to feel her energy.

Amaya's tears continued to fall freely onto the bloody ground.

Maybe, it would almost be like they could be together still.

Their souls would always be connected in a way.

Amaya let go of River's hand and slowly set him on the ground.

She had to get someone.

Stein was still on his back on the grass, clearly out of his mind.

Amaya looked at River's pale face one last time, looked in to his gold and gray eyes one last time before she walked away.

She knew she'd never see them again.


	14. Chapter 14

Amaya ran back to the school, which was the closest place.

Classes had been finished for a while now, but maybe somebody would still be hanging around.

With her tears still running down her face, she stopped at the edge of the schoolyard.

Maka was standing there, with some red-headed man. They seemed to be having a heated argument about something.

Hey.

Even in Amaya's despair she realized something.

The man was the same man from her glimpse into Stein's mind. His partner- the one that had helped 'kill' her father all those years ago.

"Maka!" Amaya yelled, her voice cracking.

Maka looked away from the red-headed man and turned to face the calls.

"Amaya?" Maka asked, confused.

Amaya ran up to them, and grabbed Maka's hand.

"Please, you have to help!" Amaya gasped, pulling her friend a few steps.

Amaya knew she must look terrible to them. She knew she was dirty and covered in River's blood. Her face was tear-stained and swollen.

"Amaya, what happened?" Maka asked, seriously.

"It- it was a Kishin- Stein is mad- River is dead-" Amaya gasped.

"River?" Maka breathed.

"Show us where to go," the red-headed man told her.

Amaya let go of Maka's hands and ran back toward the clearing.

She could still hear Stein's laughter echoing through the trees.

Running back into the clear, Amaya saw her professor rolling around on the ground, laughing insanely, his glasses a few feet away, his lips pulled up into a mad grin.

River was on the other side of the clearing, still where Amaya had laid him.

"Where's the Kishin?" the red-headed man asked her, giving her an odd glance.

He knew.

He knew that the Kishin was her father.

Maybe Stein had told him.

"He ran off," Amaya whispered, trying to keep her befallen partner out of her vision.

"He ran..." the man repeated, quietly.

Maka approached River and stared down at him, her eyes tear-filled.

"River," Maka said, bowing her head mournfully. "You were... so good. You didn't deserve any of this."

"Maka," the red-headed man told her. "Go get Sid. He should still be inside the school. Hurry."

"Right," Maka replied, and then ran off back into the trees.

The man looked at Stein, who was still laughing uncontrollably.

"Stein," he said, as he walked up to him and grabbed the collar of his shirt, hoisting him up until he was almost sitting. "Get a hold of yourself!"

Stein's eyes still weren't focused, and he continued to laugh.

The man lifted a hand and smacked Stein across the face.

Stein' slaughter stopped abruptly, and he breathed deeply, his eyes clearing up and focusing on the man's expression.

"Look what has happened, Stein," the man said, shoving Stein's collar toward River. "The Kishin got him!"

Stein grunted, and put a hand to his head as he stared at the fallen body of his student.

"Amaya..." Stein said, so calm after all that had happened. He turned in her direction but didn't look at her.

She took a step closer, her hands twisted and wringing in front of her. Stein finally looked up and his gaze met her own.

"I'm sorry," Stein said, his head bowed but his eyes still drilling into hers. "You asked for my help. You asked me to save him... And I couldn't."

"It's not your fault, professor," Amaya replied, quietly. "It all happened so fast."

Stein hoisted himself up, so he was standing, and seemed a little uneasy on his feet.

"Thank you, Spirit," Stein said, picking up his glasses and wiping them off on his coat.

"There!" Maka's voice broke the awkward silence as she and Sid ran back into the clearing.

The zombie looked at River's body in surprise.

"It's a good thing you were still here, Sid," Spirit told him, his face a mask of despair. Amaya could tell the sadness was uncharacteristic of him.

"When I was alive, I always stayed late," Sid replied, seeming a bit confused. "That's the kind of man I was."

"Maka, take Amaya to my classroom, and you two wait there for me," Stein said. "Do not leave her alone."

"Uh, right," Maka answered, seeming unsure about what was going on.

She grabbed Amaya's hand and started to pull her toward the school.

"Wait!" Amaya cried, planting her feet. "What are you going to do with River?"

"Go on," Stein insisted, taking her shoulders and gently turning her around. "I'll be there shortly."

"But..." Amaya sobbed.

"Come on," Maka said sadly, starting to walk away.

Amaya hesitantly followed, feeling fresh tears hit her cheeks.

What would happen now?

...

Amaya and Maka sat in Stein's classroom, waiting, not talking.

For a while, it was quiet, and Amaya felt her mind go a bit numb.

"That man," Amaya whispered. "He seems so familiar."

"What man?" Maka asked, seeming grateful for the conversation.

"The one Stein called Spirit," Amaya replied, looking up at her friend.

"Oh," Maka laughed. "He's my father."

Her father?!

Amaya's jaw dropped open in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yes, unfortunately," Maka replied, seeming angry.

"You don't like him as a father?" Amaya asked, picking up and studying a piece of paper that Stein had stapled back together.

"I don't know," Maka sighed, looking down at the floor. "I just keep giving him more and more second chances, and he blows them all. It's like he puts his own wants before mine, and I'm his daughter."

"Trust me," Amaya said, ruefully. "Your father is better than mine."

"What?" Maka inquired.

"I would kill to have Spirit as a father. Anyone, really," Amaya replied, setting the paper back down on the desk.

"Stein?" Maka asked, laughing.

Amaya laughed along for a second and then thought about what she was saying.

"Actually," Amaya replied, thoughtfully, "Stein and I have more in common than my real father and I."

Maka stopped laughing and considered this.

"What's so bad about your real father?" Maka asked quietly, hesitantly, as if Amaya would snap at her.

"You don't even want to know," Amaya replied, bending her knees up into Stein's chair and setting her cheek on them.

Suddenly, there was a man in the doorway.

Amaya was startled at first, but then she saw it was only Stein.

"Maka, you can leave with your father, now," Stein told her, calmly. "He's waiting outside for you."

"Alright," Maka said, still confused as to what was going on. She stood up and walked back up the stairs, disappearing down the hall.

"What did you do with...?" Amaya couldn't even finish her sentence.

"It's taken care of," Stein said, almost softly. "You don't have to worry about it any more."

Amaya gulped, still sort of worrying about it.

"But there is a matter I need to discuss with you," Stein added, walking down the stairs and standing by his desk, where Amaya sat curled up.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I'm sorry to bring this up, but if you go home, you will be alone," Stein said. "I am worried that your father has set this up so you will be an easier target."

"He... He told me the night before," Amaya whispered, staring up into Stein's green eyes. "He told me if I didn't come with him, he'd make it to where I wouldn't have anything left to stay for. But... I didn't think he'd KILL..."

"Never underestimate a Kishin," Stein told her. "Especially your father." He paused. "Any time you're alone, you're vulnerable."

"I don't want to be alone," Amaya said. "All of River's stuff, it's right where he left it. His Pepsi is still on the table. I don't..."

She trailed off, hugging her knees.

"I was wondering," Stein said, turning the bolt on his head, "if you would consider staying at my house. You would be safer there."

Amaya thought about returning to her own home, having to face everything as she and River had left it.

"Okay," Amaya answered. "I think that's a good idea."

Stein was quiet, seeming surprised that she'd answered so quickly, much less agreed to his idea.

"Right," Stein started. "Then we need to leave."

He put a gentle hand on her arm to help her up, and the two walked back up the stairs into the hallway.

Out in the parking lot, they got in Stein's car and drove off.

...

They pulled into a driveway.

"What are we doing here?" Amaya asked, feeling panic rise into her stomach as the car parked.

"What do you mean?" Stein answered, calmly.

"I thought we were going to your house," Amaya said, looking out the window at her own home. The one that she and River lived in.

"You do have to get clothes, don't you?" Stein inquired.

"No! I don't need clothes," Amaya replied dramatically, hands on either side of her face.

Stein gave a small chuckle.

"Don't be ridiculous," he said. "Everyone needs clothes."

Still, Amaya didn't move.

"You only have to go in for a second," Stein added.

She still didn't move.

"Would you like for me to go in with you?" Stein asked, finally, turning off the car.

Amaya nodded, silently.

Stein opened his door, which was a different color than the rest of his car, and stepped out, walking around to Amaya's side.

"Well?" he asked, looking in at her. "Are you coming?"

"Of course! Don't be ridiculous!" Amaya used his own words against him as she opened the car door and stepped out.

She looked at her own house and felt dread in her stomach.

Her whole life had changed now. Everything she'd ever known was gone.

How could she walk in there knowing her soul partner was dead? That she would never see him again?

That she could have possibly saved him?

Amaya reached out and grabbed Stein's arm, and he gave her an odd look.

"I'm not scared, I'm just dizzy," Amaya lied to him, sticking her chin up bravely.

He nodded and led her to the door.

They both walked in.

Amaya didn't pay any attention to what was around her.

She just walked in, and walked into her room.

She didn't think about the night she spent with River, after her nightmare. How he'd said he'd loved her and she felt so safe.

She didn't think about those memories.

She just grabbed her clothes, put them in a bag, grabbed one photograph off the wall, and walked back to Stein.

He was standing in the center of the room, waiting.

"Ready?" he asked.

Amaya nodded, once, a strong look in her eyes.

The two headed back out to the car.


	15. Chapter 15

If Amaya had ever pictured Stein when he was at home, away from school, she didn't really know what she had imagined.

But it definitely wasn't what she was seeing now.

Maybe she thought that he would sit in his bathroom floor all day, arm held above a bloody bucket as he cut into himself.

Maybe she had pictured that in her mind more than once.

But now, she was awake that morning, and it was Saturday, so she didn't have to go to school.

And because she'd slept on the couch, she was in the center of his house, all directions leading to another room.

A noise had woken her up.

It was whistling.

Amaya folded her blankets and set them on the foot of the couch, as she watched Stein walk into the room, hands in his pockets, whistling an almost-joyful tune.

"Good morning," Stein greeted in his usual steady voice.

"Morning," Amaya replied. She was actually a bit surprised. For once, she was so exhausted that she'd fallen asleep.

And she didn't have any nightmares.

Maybe it was because her Kishin father was taking a short hiatus after ruining her life.

Maybe because she really did feel safe in Stein's home. From where she slept, his bedroom was only down a short hall.

Whatever the reason, also waking up to cheerful whistling only strengthened her surprise.

"Would you like breakfast?" Stein asked her, taking his hands from his pockets and heading toward what Amaya assumed was the kitchen.

"No, thank you," Amaya replied. "I usually don't eat a lot of breakfast."

"Suit yourself," Stein said, walking into the kitchen and motioning her to follow anyway.

Amaya walked where he motioned and saw a kitchen, although the can opener had been dismantled on the counter, and on the small table there were two stacks of homework assignments.

Stein got down a bowl of some sort and poured himself some cereal.

"Is that a Brunson Burner bowl?" Amaya asked, surprised.

"Yes."

"Well..." Amaya paused, not really sure what to say. "Why?"

"Because," Stein started with a chuckle, "I don't have need for kitchen devices."

"What if you wanted to cook something?" Amaya asked.

"Then I use these," Stein answered, sitting down at the table with his bowl and looking over the assignments scattered out there.

"We're really going to have to buy you actual kitchen equipment," Amaya laughed.

Stein only raised an eyebrow.

"We'll go today," Amaya said.

Stein seemed less than thrilled with the idea.

"Come on," Amaya urged. "Don't act like I just offered you a glass of cough syrup."

"Fine," Stein replied, looking up at her with tired eyes. "If that's what you want, then we'll go today."

"Yay," Amaya said, with a smile. "Maybe then I can cook! I used to cook all the time. Me and River switched days."

Amaya gulped, feeling emotion clog up her throat. River. But she couldn't think about it. She had to stay strong.

Stein watched her carefully, pretending that he was studying his spoon.

"Professor, can I ask you something?" Amaya inquired, crossing her arms on his table.

He nodded, once.

"If you just woke up, why do you look so tired?" Amaya asked, hesitantly.

"Who said I just woke up?" Stein answered, standing and taking his bowl to the sink.

"Well... It is morning and everything," Amaya replied, confused.

"Sometimes I sleep," Stein said, casually, pouring a glass of something. He turned back around to face her, leaning against the counter. "Sometimes, I don't."

Amaya nodded, her eyes not on him any longer.

"I know what you mean," Amaya said, sadly, staring down at the floor.

It was quiet for a second.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Stein asked, monotone, but his voice hinting at either real or fake excitement. "I thought you wanted to buy bowls?"

"I do!" Amaya laughed, standing up.

Stein walked out of the kitchen, giving her a wink on the way out.

Amaya knew he was only trying to get her mind off of what had happened. But she didn't care.

It was working.

...

"I thought you already put bowls in the cart," Stein said to her, leaning one elbow on the handle of the shopping cart, his head rested firmly in his palm.

Amaya rolled her eyes and held up the package of cooking bowls that she had been studying.

"I did," Amaya replied, laughing. "But those were dining bowls. These are cooking bowls."

Stein didn't reply.

He seemed to be sulking, Amaya noticed, with a chuckle.

"What are you getting now?" Stein inquired in disbelief, looking over her shoulder as she picked up a package of assorted cooking spoons. "Didn't you just buy spoons?" Stein asked, quizzically.

"Yes," Amaya laughed. "But these are cooking spoons."

Stein seemed to huff at her, not really understanding the need for such trivial items.

He went back to leaning against the cart in a bored fashion, his tired eyes trained on her expressions.

In Stein's mind, he could think of a hundred other things he wanted to do, but number one was helping Amaya.

He wasn't sure why, but he felt responsible for her in a way.

Well, responsible wasn't exactly the right word, but Stein couldn't think of an appropriate explanation.

So even if it meant walking down endless aisles of useless kitchen equipment, Stein would do it. If it got Amaya's mind off of everything.

"Which plates do you prefer?" Amaya asked him, motioning to a wall of them.

Stein looked up at them, apathetically.

"The black ones," Stein answered, head still propped up by a hand.

"Not the white ones with the engravings?" Amaya asked, eyebrows raised.

Stein looked up at the white plates. They had little flowers engraved around the edges, and tiny hummingbirds near the center.

"Do YOU like them?" Stein replied back, an exasperated eyebrow raised.

"It's your kitchen," Amaya said, crossing her arms.

"Get the white ones," Stein said.

Amaya considered the plates for another second, then picked up the black ones.

"On second thought, I think I like these better," she said, putting a box of them into the cart.

She held up her list and checked plates off near the bottom.

"Are you sure you don't want the white ones?" Stein forced himself to ask.

"I'm sure. These black ones match the cups I'm about to get," Amaya picked up a set of coffee and tea cups, in black.

Stein sighed internally.

Although the whole day had been a pain to him, and he would probably have to pay a small fortune for all the equipment, Stein watched Amaya laugh at his torturous expression, and felt deep down inside that it would be worth it.

Stein tiredly gave her a small smile back and she turned around, happily checking another item off her list.

...

The weekend moved along much too quickly. Although Amaya told herself that she needed to go back to school and gain back at least some sense of normality, a part of her was afraid.

Everyone would know about River by now. Everyone would be staring at her, questioning her, pitying her.

Amaya felt as if she were coming to terms about River's death. She felt horrible that he was gone. She missed him like a piece of herself had been ripped away.

But she had to face the facts. It had happened. Nothing could change it. She should just be grateful that River's soul was inside of her instead of being tortured inside of a Kishin, or solitarily floating around the earth, slowly becoming weaker and weaker until it just fizzled out into nonexistence.

And, it was odd... Ever since she had consumed River's soul, it was like, she could still feel his presence sometimes. It comforted her soul, which gave her mind some relief.

So on Monday morning, when Amaya woke up again with no nightmares, she wondered if all the positive energy that had surrounded her lately was just despair in disguise.

"Good morning," Stein greeted her in his usual apathetic manner.

He didn't seem as exhausted this morning, and Amaya studied him as she folded her blankets.

"Hey, Professor," Amaya said, and he looked over at her. "Did you sleep well last night?"

Stein raised an eyebrow at her but then seemed to brush it aside.

"Well, after yesterday, I find I could have slept for a few more hours," he replied, heading into the kitchen.

Amaya laughed.

Yesterday, she had wanted to go for a walk in the park. More specifically, she wanted to find the park she and Kid had visited. But she couldn't remember where they had gone that night.

So she told Stein that she was going out and would be back later.

"Where are you going?" he had asked from his lab.

"For a walk in the park!" Amaya had answered, happily.

"You can't go alone," Stein had told her, putting down his work. "It's too dangerous for you to be by yourself."

"Oh," Amaya had bowed her head, sadly. Then, she looked back up quickly, a large smile on her face. "Well, do you want to come?"

So Stein had agreed. Reluctantly.

"Where is this park, anyway?" Stein had inquired as they walked down the street.

"I don't know. Kid showed it to me," Amaya had answered. "I'm hoping I'll see something I recognize."

"Kid?" Stein seemed to ask himself.

"Yeah."

So the pair had literally wandered all across Death City looking for the park. Stein hadn't sensed any large groups of souls nearby, and Amaya told him that she and Kid had been alone in the park, so maybe it was out of town.

Amaya and Stein wandered out of Death City.

And got lost.

They had chatted the whole way, mostly Amaya talking about her childhood and things that she liked or didn't like.

"That's strange," Stein had said when she paused. "What part of the city is this?"

"Um..." Amaya replied. "I don't know."

Because the weather was slightly chilly outside, people hadn't been out, and Stein couldn't sense any souls to guide them back.

They had had to walk all the way to the next town, and find a main road that led back to Death City.

The road entered the town on the complete opposite side to where Stein's house was located, so they had had to walk all the across town as well.

The sun was almost setting by the time they finally got home.

Stein collapsed on the couch when they finally made it back.

"Well, I hope you enjoyed your walk," Stein had said, sarcastically, as they both slumped into the cushions, exhausted.

Amaya had laughed at him.

"But look how much exercise we got!" she had replied automatically, thinking how much she sounded like River.

Now, Amaya remembered yesterday and chuckled, following Stein into the kitchen.

"Yesterday was no laughing matter, Amaya," Stein told her seriously, over his bowl of Shredded Wheat. "Being lost and vulnerable like that is dangerous." He looked up at her, with a suppressed smile, his glasses glinting in the light. "Besides, I'm too old to be walking around for six straight hours."

"Yeah, right," Amaya snorted. "How old are you? Thirty-two?"

Stein didn't answer.

"Am I right?" Amaya inquired. When he still didn't answer, she poked his arm. "I'm right, aren't I?"

He just took another bite of his cereal, so Amaya reached over and took his glasses off his face, and set them on her own nose. "Are you thirty-two?"

"Yes," Stein replied finally, shaking his head at her in fake exasperation.

"I knew it!" Amaya exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air.

They were quiet for a second, Amaya obviously thinking deeply about something.

"I guess I'm going to get ready for school," Amaya said, starting to leave the kitchen.

"Before you go," Stein stopped her, and she poked her head back into the room. "My glasses."

"Oh! Sorry!" Amaya laughed, awkwardly, taking his glasses off and handing them back to him. "I'll see you in a few minutes then!"

She ran out of the kitchen, her face red. She didn't really know why she was embarrassed; she just was for some reason.

Amaya entered the bathroom to get ready for her classes.

Back in the kitchen, Stein replaced the glasses back on his nose, and chuckled.


	16. Chapter 16

Amaya walked into the DWMA, and she was one of the first students there, because Stein had to get to his classroom twenty minutes early.

She followed him to his classroom and walked inside. He sat down backwards in his chair, spinning a couple times before starting some grading.

"Awh," Amaya found herself saying, sadly, as she sat down on one of the desks.

"What?" Stein asked.

"Now that I'm staying with you, I can't bring you things to take apart," Amaya explained.

Stein took a deep breath.

"I don't need them," Stein replied. "In complete honesty, for some strange reason, your presence here has helped cease my madness."

Amaya didn't know whether to be insulted or flattered.

"Yeah, I haven't even thought about the madness all weekend," Amaya added, a hand to her chin.

Silence.

"Well, I'm going to go for a walk around the school before your class starts," Amaya told him, standing back up and stretching.

"If you leave this classroom," Stein said, calmly, "you find Kid or Maka immediately, and stay with them."

"What if I run across Black Star or Soul or someone?" Amaya asked.

"No. It must be Kid or Maka. Understood?" Stein demanded, flipping passively through papers.

"Well, alright," Amaya replied, with a shrug. She didn't know why it had to be one of those two, but Stein probably knew what he was talking about.

She started walking back up the stairs.

"Be careful," Stein called from down at his desk.

"It's just school, Professor Stein," Amaya laughed. "I'll be okay."

She walked out the door and studied the halls, which were slowly starting to fill with students.

"Amaya!" she heard, and turned around. Kid ran up to her, a pained expression across his usually uncaring face. When he reached her, he grabbed both of her arms. "I... I am so sorry."

He bowed his head and closed his eyes.

"River was such a good Meister," Kid said quietly. "And such a good person."

"It's alright, Kid," Amaya replied, in a whisper. "Thank you."

Kid looked back up at her, his fingers still gripping her arms.

"Maka told me. She was very upset. She had a... liking toward River," Kid told her.

Amaya felt a bit of jealousy run through her, which was odd. She had never been jealous of River and anyone. River had never even shown a liking toward anyone but Amaya.

She gulped.

"I'm so sorry," Kid said in his rational voice. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, no, I'm fine," Amaya said, emotion clogging her throat.

She had to get to the bathroom. She felt the usual madness creeping up into her stomach.

And she didn't want Kid to see her lose control.

"Excuse me," Amaya said, pretending like she was going to cry, and ran into the bathroom.

She dashed into a stall and locked it behind her, feeling uncontrollable sobs escaping her throat.

Her sobs turned into laughter as her body wracked with the tremendous effort to control herself.

The madness.

Why was it back so suddenly?

Did it have to do with rushes of emotion?

That was her last rational thought as her mind seemed to break into halves.

"Hahaha!" Amaya laughed, "Everything... Will end..."

She gripped the toilet paper dispenser, to keep herself standing. "Everything! Will end!"

She threw back her head and laughed into the air, her cacophony echoing through the room.

"Everything will die!"

...

Stein walked back into his classroom, after having a short visit with lord Death. He assumed since Amaya was his student, it was illegal for her to reside with him while he was still her teacher.

Stein explained the situation to lord Death, who already knew most of it, and told the masked man his future plans.

If everything went as Stein wanted it to, then it would be legal for Amaya to stay with him.

He walked back into his classroom, giving a quick look around at his students.

Stein approached his desk and started taking roll. He pushed his glasses farther up onto his nose.

"Maka Albarn."

"Present."

"Black Star."

"Yeah."

"Death the Kid."

"I am present."

"Edmonton Giles."

"Here."

He read each name, barely looking up from his roster until he reached the Rs.

"Amaya Rhys."

No answer.

Stein looked up from his paper, surveying the room as his heartbeat seemed to disappear from his chest.

"Amaya?" he repeated, the sea of faces all looking around at each other, curiously. "Oh no," Stein breathed, his face expressionless.

Then he dropped his pen and paper, and ran out of the room, his heart beat returning loudly in his ears.

...

Stein ran around the school, but couldn't find Amaya. Panic hit him like it never had before. Where could she have gone? Why hadn't he made her stay in his classroom? This was all his fault.

Stein stuck his head back into his classroom, his shocked students still mingling about, unsure what to do or where to go.

"Has anyone seen Amaya this morning?" Stein demanded.

"I have," Kid called, standing up.

"Where was the last place you saw her?" Stein asked.

"She went into the girl's lavatory," Kid replied, eyes wide.

Stein stuck his head back out of the room and ran down the hall.

...

The girl's lavatory.

Stein made his way down the halls, until he found the door.

Should he even go inside?

It was the girl's bathroom, after all.

Looking around, he made sure the corridor was empty before slowly opening the door and sticking his head inside.

The lights were too bright and made his eyes hurt.

It was quiet, except for some heavy breathing.

"Amaya?" Stein asked, his voice returning to his usual calm.

One of the stalls flew open and Amaya fell out, slumping to her knees, ragged laughs escaping from her covered mouth. Her hands, both of which were covering her face, trembled and were pale.

Stein slowly walked into the bathroom, staring at her in surprise.

She peeked out from between her ghostly fingers with one wild blue eye.

Amaya chuckled softly, which unnerved Stein more than her loud laughing.

"Everything will end," Amaya whispered to him. "It will."

"What do you mean?" Stein asked, rationally.

Amaya stopped laughing and removed her hands from her face. She slowly looked up at him, her hair still hanging over her eyes, and Stein couldn't see them.

"Everything will die! Everyone will end!" Amaya practically screamed, her teeth chattering as if she were cold.

She hugged herself, her fingernails pointing into her skin.

"You... will end, too," Amaya raggedly said, lifting her head and looking Stein directly in the eyes.

Her eyes held so much madness, and Stein didn't know how to answer. Was that how he looked when he was on the brink of insanity?

"Amaya," Stein said, taking a step toward her. "Listen to yourself. Do you hear what you're saying?"

"No. No. I hear... Nothing," Amaya whispered, sadly, her shoulders shaking.

"Is this how River would want you to act?" Stein asked, looking into her blank, staring gaze.

"River...?" Amaya repeated, as if the name sounded familiar to her.

Then, she doubled over, her hair brushing the ground, and sobbed. Her back heaved and her breaths hitched.

"River wouldn't... want me to be like this..." Amaya whispered, between sobs. "Why am I like this?"

Stein walked over to her and kneeled down, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"It's not your fault," Stein told her, rubbing her back soothingly. "I know the madness is hard to conquer. But you need to calm down. Take a breath."

Amaya tried to stop her sobs, but she couldn't.

"S...Stein...?" Amaya said, her head still down, her tears dripping off her chin.

"Yes?"

"I want... To... Kill..." she breathed, her hands back over her face.

"It's not you," Stein replied, calmly. "It's the madness. It slowly eats away at you. And because your father has been invading your subconscious, the madness has probably been magnifying his thoughts and projecting them into your mind."

"No," Amaya sobbed, as Stein rubbed her back.

"Amaya. You need to breathe. Go ahead."

She took a deep breath, and after a couple of minutes, she started to feel herself become sober. She felt her own personality slip back in as the madness flowed from her mind.

She breathed normally again, except for a quiver from her chattering teeth.

"Feel better now?" Stein asked, his calm voice soothing for some reason.

Amaya nodded and looked back up. Stein could tell the rationality had come back into her eyes.

"Right," Stein said, giving her shoulder a final squeeze. "Would you like for me to take you to lord Death's? You'll be safe there."

Amaya looked hesitant.

"You only have to stay there until the negative emotions subside," Stein continued, taking off his lab coat and laying it over her shaking shoulders.

She pulled it around herself tighter, her pale fingers weak.

"Alright," Amaya replied, starting to feel some strength come back into her voice.

Stein stood up and walked over to the bathroom exit, peeking out to make sure the coast was clear.

"Come on," Stein helped her up, and Amaya could see stitches criss-crossing up and down his bare arms beneath his gray-ish brown shirt.

"Have you been doing that again?" Amaya asked, removing a hand from her coat and touching his stitches with a finger.

"Of course not," he replied too quickly, moving his arm away from her. "Don't be ridiculous. It's none of your concern."

They silently left the bathroom and walked down the halls.

"Spirit Albarn will be there as well," Stein told her. "This time, whenever you leave for class, have someone with you at all times. Let Maka or Kid in on what's going on, in case something happens."

"I don't want them to know... that I'm like this," Amaya said.

"That may be, but they could possibly save your life one day," Stein said, opening what looked like a secret elevator door and stepping inside.

They rose up into impossible heights, and stopped abruptly.

The doors dinged open.

"Hello, hello! Good to see ya!" Death exclaimed as Stein led Amaya into the breezy room. "I just received several questions from the students asking about you two!"

"Children," Stein huffed, angrily. "Nosy, over-protective children."

"It's not their fault," Amaya spoke up, quietly. "You ran out of class without explanation again, didn't you?"

Stein's jaw muscle worked and Amaya knew she was right.

"Miss Maka wanted to know what was going on," Death told them, sipping from a tea cup. "And my son called as well. He seemed especially worried for Miss Amaya's welfare."

Lord Death gave Amaya a stare, with an expression that she couldn't see because of his mask.

Even though Amaya couldn't even see his face, she felt her cheeks turn warm anyway, and she looked down at the floor.

"He told me to let you know that he needs to talk to you again, as soon as possible!" Death exclaimed, happily. He chuckled.

Amaya nodded once as Death still laughed over her embarrassment.

Suddenly, a face appeared in lord Death's mirror, a loud fizzling noise piercing the air.

"Well, how about that!" Death babbled, as his son's face faded in.

"Amaya!" Kid exclaimed, looking worried and a tad angry. His jaw was set.

Amaya, still hugging Stein's jacket against her, walked to the mirror.

"Hi, Kid," Amaya tried to smile.

"I was worried about you, Amaya," Kid sounded angry at himself. "I hope that nothing I said upset you."

His face showed that he was angry when his words sounded sincere.

"No, no," Amaya replied, feeling conflicting emotions. "You were fine. It's... It's nothing."

"Are you absolutely certain? I didn't mean to say anything to-" Kid cut off, taking a deep breath, his yellow eyes looking off to the side.

"I'm sure, Kid," Amaya said. "But listen. I need to tell you something."

"Right," Kid said, turning back to her, questioningly.

"I... I like you..." she started, seeming to be thinking. "But-"

"Do you?!" Kid asked excitedly, leaning forward, closer to the mirror. Then he seemed to remember he was also being viewed by his father, Stein and Spirit, and calmed his manner. "Well. Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because I want you to know," Amaya replied, her head hanging a bit, "that I'm half-Kishin. In case you change your mind about being my friend."

Kid only stared at her for a second.

"Half-Kishin?" he repeated, turning to look at the adults behind Amaya, as if for explanation.

"Yes," Amaya said. "My father is a very powerful Kishin. He... He wants me to come back to him. I refused. And then he killed River."

Kid still only stared at her, expressionlessly.

"So what you're saying is, if I befriend you, I have risk on my life by a Kishin, who is also your father," Kid reiterated.

"Yes," Amaya said, sadly.

"Then let him come," Kid finalized, somberly. "He won't win against me and my weapons. Liz and Patti are behind me every step of the way. We will protect you, Amaya. I swear we will."

Amaya looked back up, surprised.

"What?" she gasped.

"You should have told me sooner," Kid almost-smiled. "I was wondering what was going on with your soul wavelength."

Amaya laughed, and put her shaking hand against the mirror.

"Thank you, Kid," Amaya whispered. "You don't know how grateful I am to you."

Kid put his hand against the glass as well, with a half-shrug.

"Please think nothing of it," Kid replied, with a nod.

Amaya felt the warmth of his hand through the glass, and his face started to fade away.

"I'll see you later," Amaya said, and Kid nodded and was gone.

Amaya was suddenly hit with the fact that three men were standing behind her, and she was almost too embarrassed to turn around.

She finally turned around and Spirit was watching them with tear-filled eyes.

"Young love!" Spirit wailed. "Reminds me of my younger days!"

"And your current days," Stein added with a half-smile.

"Don't be ridiculous," Amaya replied, falsely, hugging the coat around herself. "Kid and I are just friends."

"And they held hands through the mirror!" Spirit wailed, fists bunched under his chin like a little girl. "They're so cute!"

"How old are you again?" Amaya asked, sarcastically.

"I'm a sucker for romance!" Spirit replied, waving a hand in the air.

"Are you really Maka's dad?" Amaya inquired, confused.

"Of course!" Spirit replied, rolling his eyes as if she were the ridiculous one.

"Oh. Maybe I'm just used to men who don't show much emotion, then," Amaya said, not looking anyone in the eye. "River was always so quiet, and so is Stein. And the first teacher who took an interest in me, Taljin, was very introverted. He didn't like anyone knowing too much about himself."

Spirit looked over at Stein.

"It's strange that you made it onto her list, Franken," Spirit said, jokingly, smacking his arm.

"Do you mind if I leave her with you for a while, until she's ready to go back to class?" Stein asked lord Death, ignoring his red headed friend altogether.

"Absolutely not!" Death replied. "I was just about to make another pot of tea!"

"Thank you," Stein bowed a bit before starting to leave the room.

"Stein!" Amaya called, and he looked back over to her. "Do you need your lab coat back?"

"You need it more than I do," Stein replied. He turned and left the room, the secret elevator making a swift noise as it carried him back down to the academy.

Amaya turned to lord Death as he prepared tea...

This was going to be awkward...


	17. Chapter 17

"So..." Death said, sipping some tea.

He and Amaya had been sitting around a table shaped like lord Death's face for about ten minutes, trying to think of a good casual conversation.

It was awkward, especially just after Amaya's talk with Kid.

"So... Professor Stein has informed me that you are staying with him now!" Lord Death exclaimed, setting his tea down and adding another sugar cube.

"Oh, yeah!" Amaya laughed, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly, forcing a too-large smile.

"And how has that been?" Death inquired, stirring his cup and leaning back.

"Interesting," Amaya replied.

"He hasn't tried dissecting you yet, has he?" Death asked.

Amaya couldn't tell if he was joking or being completely serious.

"Oh, no!" Amaya laughed nervously. "Stein wouldn't do that!"

"Well that's wonderful!" Death replied. "What a relief to know he hasn't scared you away!"

Amaya's smile froze a bit on her face.

"You know how people talk!" Death exclaimed, seeing her tense reaction. "The students all think of him as a bit of an odd character!"

"Stein's not odd!" Amaya felt herself say, defensively.

"Don't get me wrong-" Death added. "I don't think Stein is odd at all!"

Amaya stared at the man wearing a huge skull-shaped mask, draped in oversized black robes, and wondered if the guy even looked in the mirror.

"In fact, Stein is very talented!" Death added. "Very talented, indeed! You're very lucky to be staying with him, and training with him!"

"I think so, too," Amaya replied, sipping her own tea.

She didn't see it, but Death smiled underneath his mask.

She had done exactly what he had wanted.

His spying was finished.

He could now allow Stein to go through with his plan.

...

That night, Amaya sat on the couch, snuggled up in a blanket, her homework laying in the floor where she'd tossed it.

It was strange... Amaya had been trying to do homework, thinking really hard about the questions, when she suddenly heard River speak in her mind.

"It's C."

Amaya almost had a heart attack. Was... Could she really hear River's voice in her head sometimes? It was the second time it had happened to her.

Maybe it was because she had eaten his soul? But Amaya had always thought that when a weapon ate a soul, the soul's energy got broken down and distributed into the weapon's body. As energy for the consumer.

She shouldn't be able to get words or thoughts or anything from him.

Maybe it was the madness.

Maybe the voice was all in her mind. That had to be it.

She was so distraught about losing River, the madness had created his persona in her mind.

But still... That was creepy.

"Why aren't you doing homework?" Stein asked, walking into the room. Amaya jumped, startled.

"I, uh, can't figure out your assignment," Amaya replied.

"My assignment?" Stein repeated, his eyebrows knit together. "What don't you understand?"

"The things a weapon and Meister think about during Soul Resonance," Amaya said, motioning to her book in the floor. "It's not in the chapter. It's not anywhere in the book at all, so I gave up."

Stein gave her an odd look, then chuckled.

"That's because I want each student's independent answer," Stein replied, picking up her book from the floor and setting it in her lap. "Whenever you soul resonate, what do you think of?"

"It... It depends, though," Amaya answered after a second. "Whenever I soul resonated with River, I would get flashes of our past, and I could hear his thoughts. Sometimes I could even see us standing there, in soul form, talking to each other. It was... Open."

She looked back up to Stein, who was standing, listening.

"But whenever I soul resonate with you, it's closed. I can only get glimpses of your soul wavelength and soul dimension. And I don't think of anything, I can just feel emotions," Amaya explained.

Stein was quiet for a second, considering.

"Then write that down," he replied, suppressing a smile.

Stein turned and walked into the kitchen, and Amaya sighed.

She picked up her book and wrote down her answer.

...

Amaya had finished her homework, and set her books on the arm of the couch.

She heard noises coming from the kitchen, so she walked in, curiously.

She saw Stein chopping lettuce at the counter. He had stacks of papers splayed out on the table behind him, a red pen sitting on top.

"Stein?" Amaya asked. "Are you cooking?"

He glanced back at her with an apathetic glance.

"I wanted tacos," he replied with a barely visible shrug.

"Can I help?" Amaya inquired, watching him put the chopped lettuce in a bowl.

"If you want," Stein said, like he didn't care one way or the other.

"What can I do?" Amaya asked, excitedly, walking further into the room.

"Have you already finished your homework?" Stein asked, starting to chop some tomatoes.

"Yeah!" Amaya replied, "Its all done!"

"Then you can cook that hamburger over there," Stein motioned to the hamburger and pan on the stove with his knife.

"Okay!" Amaya excitedly turned the stove on, and the pair set to work on preparing tacos.

The busywork kept their minds concentrated and away from the topic of anything that had gone on in the last few days.

"Amaya?" Stein asked, almost suspiciously.

"Yeah?" she replied, from the stove.

"Tell me about the first teacher that helped you," Stein said. "You mentioned him to lord Death."

"Taljin?" Amaya asked, surprised. "Why do you want to know about him?"

"Just curious," Stein said. "What sort of teacher was he?"

"He worked as a teacher at the orphanage I stayed at," Amaya answered, still cooking. "I was really young, only about four or five. I accidentally turned into my weapon when we were the only ones in the room. Well, he already knew about weapons and Meisters because his friend was a weapon when he was a kid. He sort of took me in, and transferred me to the Death Weapon Meister Primary Academy when I was six. That's when I met River."

"Were you close to him?" Stein asked, taking out a package of tortilla shells. "The teacher, I mean."

"Well..." Amaya trailed off. "Kind of. He trained me when I was young, and even though I didn't see him very often, he left me the house that River and I stayed in. He was a really quiet man. He didn't like people knowing too much about him."

Stein didn't reply for a second.

"What kind of things did he teach you?" Stein asked.

"When he was my teacher? Or when he was training me?" Amaya said, turning the hamburger off.

"When he was training you."

"Just simple things. The basics. Like, what soul resonance was, and how to do it. How to fight, and use my weapon. When I got to DWMPA, I was already considered ahead of the other students," Amaya said.

"What ever happened to him?" Stein asked, finally, leaning up against the counter, his arm muscles stretching the sleeves of his gray, stitched shirt.

"He died about six years ago," Amaya replied. She turned, her eyebrows knit together. "I never really learned what happened to him. They told me he got into a battle with someone and lost. But, I could never figure out why he was in battle."

"What do you mean?" Stein asked.

"Well, as far as I know, he wasn't a Meister or a weapon. Why would he be fighting? And who?" Amaya crossed her arms and leaned against the counter like Stein was.

"That is interesting," Stein replied.

Amaya pursed her lips in thought, and the room was quiet for a second.

"Well, let's eat tacos," Amaya said, seeming to forget their earlier subject.

Stein chuckled once, and followed Amaya to the counter to get actual plates for their dinner.

But even though Amaya pretended not to think about Taljin, she was still curious as to what ever happened to him.

Just another curiosity to add to her long list of things she didn't understand.

She looked over at Stein as he ate his taco. His glasses glinted, and he was quiet. He read papers and graded every few seconds.

Stein was a better teacher than Taljin had been. She wondered why he'd been so anxious to know about the first person to take her in.

Stein didn't do things without a reason.

He usually had a motive.

Amaya didn't know.

She decided to just forget about it for now. Maybe she'd find out soon enough.


	18. Chapter 18

***Author's Note: Hi! Sorry for the weird updating times! :-) Thanks everyone for reading this far! I got distracted by life and came back to update, and this story already has like three thousand views! ^_^ I appreciate all of your comments too! **

**Also, in this chapter, there will be some Kid action! Haha! Please enjoy and let me know what you think! Thanks! **

**Disclaimer: I unfortunately don't own Soul Eater. I only own my OCs! ***

The next few days, at school, Amaya stayed with someone, just as Stein asked her to.

Kid was more than willing to act as her protector, and because they had a couple classes together, it was easy for him to walk her to her rooms.

And, to Amaya's amazement, it didn't even seem to bother him that she was half-Kishin. She had thought that Kid would find her disgusting after finding out her secret, because he was a reaper, but he acted as he always did.

"You look even more lovely than usual today," Kid greeted her one morning, and Amaya felt a blush heat her cheeks.

"Why?" Amaya asked.

"I'm not sure, really," Kid replied, putting a hand to his chin. "Maybe because you walked in with a smile on your face."

"Oh," Amaya laughed, and Kid gave her a small smile.

Kid wasn't one for emotions, unless it was compliments or unruly bouts of obsessive-compulsion.

The two walked around the school until Stein's class started.

"You seem tired," Kid told her, as they walked.

"I've been having some weird dreams lately," Amaya replied, rubbing the back of her neck. "It's hard for me to sleep."

"What kind of dreams?" Kid asked.

"Nightmares... About my father," Amaya admitted.

"Oh," Kid said, watching her face. "Well that's understandable."

Amaya shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts.

"I have a question," Amaya said suddenly, as they walked to class.

"Right. What is it?" Kid asked, holding his books across his chest symmetrically.

"Can we go on another date?" Amaya asked him.

Kid literally stopped walking and gave her an odd look.

"You're asking me?" Kid inquired, surprised.

"Mhm!" Amaya laughed.

"You're asking me to go on another date with you?" Kid explained to himself calmly, his yellow eyes calculating.

"Yes!" Amaya replied.

"I would like that," Kid finally answered.

"Alright," Amaya said, smiling at him. "But can I plan it this time? I have a place I want to show you."

Kid gave her a small smile in return.

"Alright," Kid said. "When do you want to go?"

"Tonight, if it's not too short of notice," Amaya replied, waiting for him to start walking again.

"Tonight is fine," Kid said, catching up to her. "What time, then?"

"Eight o'clock?" Amaya asked, with a laugh.

"You learn quickly," Kid added, giving her a half-smile.

They approached Stein's classroom, and he was actually already there, at his desk. Stein looked up at them as they entered, to make sure Amaya was with somebody.

She gave him a reassuring smile as she sat down next to Kid.

Class started.

...

That night, Amaya put on a pair of jeans and a black jacket to get ready for her date.

She had dinner with Stein, who eyed her attire with curiosity.

"Going somewhere?" Stein asked, casually.

"I'm going out with Kid again," Amaya replied, leaning her head in a palm on the table.

Stein didn't respond; he just gave a knowing smile.

"Don't act like that," Amaya said, defensively.

"Like what?" Stein inquired, innocently.

"Like Kid and I are a couple, or anything," Amaya explained. "We're just friends!"

"If you say so," Stein replied, still seeming to be suppressing a smile.

"I do say so," Amaya huffed.

Stein didn't say anything to that.

Finally, it was eight o,clock, and Amaya stood up to wait for Kid in the living room.

"Be careful," Stein called to her.

"I will!" Amaya replied, walking out of the room.

She stood by the door, and just as the second hand hit the mark, someone knocked on the door.

She opened it with a smile.

"Hi, Kid!" she greeted.

He stood there, hands behind his back.

"Hello," he replied, reaching out and taking her hands, and kissing both of them.

Amaya blushed, and closed the door behind her.

"You look divine," Kid said to her, a smile pulling at his usually expressionless lips.

"Thank you," Amaya replied, head down. "You do, too."

Kid was wearing a black jacket that seemed almost casual, and his hair was slightly ruffled from the wind.

"Well, thank you, but trust me: you look the better of us two," Kid said.

It was strange. The more Amaya got to know Kid, the more he seemed to loosen up. He was usually so formal, so rigid. It caught her off guard whenever he made little jokes.

Amaya smiled at him.

"So what have you planned for tonight?" Kid asked, watching her out of the corner of his yellow eyes.

They both walked down the street.

"It's this place I used to visit when I was younger," Amaya replied. "I walked past it a couple days ago and thought that you'd enjoy it."

Kid didn't answer for a second.

"I'm excited," Kid finally said, calmly, his hands behind his back again.

Amaya silently added Kid to her list of men that didn't show much emotion. She had read it off to Spirit, and it had included Taljin, Stein, and River. Now, Kid was tacked on at the end.

What was it with her and emotionless guys?

Well... Kid showed emotion... sometimes.

"Here we are!" Amaya motioned grandly to the sign.

"'The Butterfly Gardens'," Kid read with a raised eyebrow. He turned to her to see if she was joking.

"I know it sounds boring," Amaya said. "But trust me! You'll like it!"

"Alright, I'll trust you, then," Kid replied with an amused glance her way.

Amaya and Kid walked down the path and through the metal gates.

There was a giant building with an open roof, and Kid stared at it, surprised.

They walked inside.

"I..." Kid said, looking around.

The room had giant metal arches to make up the walls, eight on each side. There were only a few light sources, and it was night, so it felt as if they were out in the open.

Thousands of butterflies flew around the room, landing on bright flowers, which had been planted along the bottoms of the arches.

There was a path leading straight down the center of the room, and an open door was the exit leading out.

Directly above them, they could see the stars.

"This- this place is... It's perfectly symmetrical!" Kid exclaimed, staring up at everything in complete awe. "The arches- the flowers-"

He turned away to study the other side of the room, and a butterfly landed on the arm of his black jacket. Kid raised it slowly to study the little creature. "Even the butterflies."

The wings of the butterfly had symmetrical designs, perfectly matching up when they closed.

"I know!" Amaya replied happily. "Isn't it awesome?"

"You mean that you," Kid started, seeming surprised. "You appreciate this building?" Kid paused dramatically as the butterfly flew off of his arm. "The divine architecture that must have been the work of only a true artist?"

Amaya gave him an odd look, and laughed. He was completely serious. And, he had called her divine earlier, and she was secretly flattered.

"Of course!" Amaya replied, smiling and closing her eyes. "I've been coming here since I was a kid! I knew you'd like it!"

"I do like it," Kid said, turning back to her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome!" Amaya chirped, happily.

Suddenly, Kid put a hand to her face, his fingers gently touching her jaw.

Amaya just stared at him in surprise.

"You truly are amazing, Amaya," Kid said, his yellow eyes boring into her own surprised gaze.

"Um... Thank you," Amaya replied, unsure of how to act.

Kid didn't remove his hand from her cheek, but seemed to be thinking about something. A range of emotions swept across his serious features, and the wind blew his hair across his forehead.

He leaned his face closer to hers, and Amaya's breath stopped in her chest.

When Kid's lips were mere inches from her own, Kid seemed to hesitate.

"I'm going to kiss you," he said, quietly. "Is that alright?"

Amaya chuckled softy in disbelief.

"Of course," she replied.

And Kid leaned in the rest of the way to break the space between them.

He kissed her softly, as if he still wasn't convinced that she was okay with it. Amaya hooked a finger behind the clip on his tie that resembled lord Death's mask, and pulled him closer.

Amaya felt him smile into the kiss, and pull her closer for a second before they finally broke away.

"A tad eager, are we?" Kid joked in his serious voice, not looking her in the eye but seeming proud of himself, and Amaya laughed.

"A tad," she answered, her hands behind her back, embarrassed. Kid actually looked down, away from her, to hide the slight red that creeped into his face.

"Would you like to go for a walk with me before I take you home?" Kid asked, clearing his throat, and straightening his tie clip.

"Sure," Amaya replied, with a laugh.

Kid offered her his arm, and Amaya acted as if she were going to link arms with him, but at the last second, took his hand instead.

She intertwined their fingers and let their hands drop together.

Kid was watching her movements with interest and didn't complain.

They walked down the street, hands swinging, talking about homework and school, and their friends.

Everything seemed to be going absolutely wonderfully.

Until Kid noticed something.

"Wait," Kid stopped walking, and let go of her hand to stop her. "I sense something. Another soul. It's over there."

"So?" Amaya asked, "I bet it's just someone walking, like us."

"No," Kid replied, somberly. "It's not a human soul. It's a Kishin."

Amaya gasped and grabbed onto Kid's arm.

"Let's slowly turn around," Kid said, his voice low.

The couple tried to turn, but a blast of energy came exploding out from the trees, barely missing Kid.

Kid jumped back, almost falling over, and his eyes narrowed.

"Time to play games," Kid said.

Another blast of energy erupted and missed Amaya by inches. She felt the heat from it graze her cheek.

"Amaya, let's do this," Kid said quickly, holding his hand out.

"But- we don't know how to work together!" Amaya exclaimed. "You're used to having Liz and Patti as guns and I'm a scythe!"

"My dad uses a scythe," Kid reminded her.

"You'll get hurt! Our soul wavelengths don't match!" Amaya said worriedly.

"But they do, haven't you noticed?" Kid replied, giving her an almost wicked smile.

Amaya took a deep breath and turned into her weapon against her better judgement.

Kid grabbed her from the air, and spun her around.

"I'm scared, Kid," Amaya's mind admitted to him. Her connection to him wasn't as strong as hers had been with River. But their wavelengths did match up pretty well.

"We can do this," Kid's mind replied, as they both watched the Kishin step from the trees before them.

The Kishin was silent for a second, his teeth dripping blood.

"My daughter," the Kishin growled. "In the arms of... a reaper."

"We're not here to talk to you, Kishin," Kid replied, his voice deadly soft. "I suggest you walk away now."

"I cannot," the Kishin said, in his gravelly voice. "I'm here for my daughter. I'm here to take her back."

"She does not belong to you anymore," Kid responded, his voice sounding dangerous.

"We'll see about that," the Kishin growled, and lunged.


	19. Chapter 19

***Author's Note: **

**Recap: In the middle of Kid and Amaya's fight against her Kishin father. I hope you all enjoy! Please review and tell me what you think. :-) ***

Amaya watched in horror as Kid twisted the scythe in his hands, almost slicing the Kishin in half, but the monster was too quick.

It ended up behind Kid, and blasted energy at him.

Kid ducked and rolled, the blast passing just above him.

The Kishin kicked out, and hit Kid in the leg, causing him to stumble.

This was how her father had gotten River, too, Amaya remembered.

"Kid, don't let him near your legs!" Amaya's mind called to him.

"Got it," Kid replied, out loud, his teeth clenched, swinging the scythe and using it as a block from the energy blasts. "But why?"

"It's how he got River!" Amaya exclaimed, showing him in her mind the terrible scenes.

Kid watched the scenes play out in his head as he fought the Kishin.

Blasts of energy were coming so quickly, it was rushing through Amaya's soul, stinging all across her mind.

"We have to get him to slow down!" Kid said in his mind. "His energy blasts are coming too quickly and they're hurting you, aren't they?" Kid looked at her in suspicion.

"No! Do what you have to!" Amaya called back to him.

"We're going to soul resonate," Kid told her, trying to dodge the energy blasts without using Amaya as a shield. "Ready?"

"But Kid-!" Amaya protested.

"I need your head in this!" Kid exclaimed. "Please concentrate-"

"Please don't get hurt-" Amaya's mind told him.

"Let's go! Soul resonance!" Kid said, swinging the scythe up into the air.

Her Night Rain now wouldn't be the same as River's. The Meister had to control the energy flow. She didn't know how Kid would react to her tactics. The weapon could only do so much. She and River had been getting so strong together.

No, Amaya thought. She had been getting stronger as a person, too.

And Kid was so talented! Together, they could only be powerful.

Amaya's mind screamed as she and Kid resonated souls, their wavelengths slowly connecting like two heavy magnets.

"Night Rain!" Kid yelled, automatically sensing her tactics. He ran toward the Kishin, as the scythe completed itself into a circle.

Amaya's tattoo expanded slowly from the hilt of the scythe onto Kid's arms.

"Yah!" Kid screamed, jumping up and bringing the scythe down upon the Kishin with full force.

Amaya's mind seemed to float.

He hadn't shot the energy out of the scythe like River's wavelength had done.

Kid had stored all the energy into the scythe, to use it all with just one blow.

If he missed, they would both be dead.

The Kishin brought his arm up, and tried duck out of the way.

The scythe sliced into it's arm, cutting off the appendage.

It fell onto the ground with a smack, and the blade sliced across the monster's chest.

Not deep enough to kill it.

But deep enough to hurt it, to weaken it.

The Kishin fell and tried to blast energy at Kid, blood pouring from it's severed stump.

Kid was actually exhausted, mentally, from using a weapon he never had before. He took deep breaths, and put a hand on his knee.

He didn't even see the energy blasts that were coming right at him.

"KID- LOOK OUT-" Amaya screamed on the inside, trying to change from her weapon to help. It was as if her mind was stuck, she couldn't change back at that moment- She was too weak- Kid would die-

Suddenly, someone charged Kid, and pushed him over, away from harm.

Kid hit the ground with a thump and looked up at whoever had knocked him down.

"Professor Stein?" Kid asked.

Stein's hand seemed to glow bright white and blue, and he shot an energy blast at the Kishin, who seemed surprised that Stein could do such a thing.

"Kid, take Amaya away from here," Stein commanded.

Amaya finally changed back from her weapon form, exhausted.

She had used so much energy.

The blasts had taken a lot out of her.

Stein ran toward the Kishin, but the monster disappeared into thin air, the blood twirling up into the sky behind him.

"I will have you back, my daughter! We will be together again!" His voice faded away as the silence took over the air.

Except for Amaya's heavy breathing, all was still.

"Amaya," Kid said, helping her stand up. "Are you alright? You took quite a few hits from those energy blasts."

"I'm fine," Amaya gasped, holding her sides. "Just tired."

"Energy blasts?" Stein asked, confused.

He approached Amaya's doubled-over form and lifted her shirt up a bit. There were scorch marks down her ribcage, and some on her arms. It wasn't as if her flesh had been burnt, but it was as if something else had, something deeper.

"It appears the Kishin was trying to damage your soul," Stein explained. "If you had been with a weaker Meister, I'm sure he would have succeeded."

Amaya looked up at Kid, with a small smile.

"Thanks," she said.

"It seems impossible for us to have a date that doesn't get ruined," Kid replied, seriously, returning her small smile and helping her lean her weight onto his shoulders.

"Kid, you come with us, and I'll call someone to come and get you," Stein said. "It's too dangerous for you to walk home alone."

"Alright," Kid replied, and Stein helped Amaya walk from the other side.

Through the night, they stumbled back to Stein's house.

...

The three of them waited inside for Liz and Patti to show up, sipping tea at the broken-but-mended table.

"You two being able to fight together without any training beforehand," Stein said, "is impressive."

"I was surprised," Kid added. "Our soul wavelengths matched up better than I assumed they would."

"It may be all the time you've been spending together," Stein replied. "Sometimes, the better you get to know a person, the easier it is to soul resonate."

Kid shrugged.

"Well, I'd better wait for Liz and Patti," Kid said, standing up. "Thank you for all your help, Professor Stein."

Stein nodded once, sipping his tea.

"I'll walk you out," Amaya told him, standing up and following him out of the room.

They opened the door and walked out onto the porch.

"Thanks for going on a date with me," Amaya said, crossing her arms against the chill of the night.

"The pleasure was all mine," Kid smiled at her, his tired yellow eyes hinting at actual happiness. "Thank you for allowing me to kiss you."

"The pleasure was all mine," Amaya laughed at the change of conversation.

Kid ducked his head as the hint of red invaded his cheeks again, and he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"And thanks for helping me," Amaya said, her tone going serious. "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there."

"Think nothing of it, Amaya," Kid replied, calm yet again. "Whenever you need me, just call."

Liz and Patti pulled up in an old, beat up car and honked the horn.

"Liz! Patti! Where did you get that car?!" Kid yelled, his hands in fists.

He quickly turned back around to Amaya and pressed a kiss against her lips before winking at her.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow," he said, somberly, and ran down to the beat-up car. "You couldn't even have borrowed a car that had BOTH headlights?!"

"Sorry, Kid, this is the only one we could find on such short notice," Liz explained from the driver's side.

"I refuse to get in!" Kid exclaimed, crossing his arms and setting his chin indignantly. "This car is a monstrosity."

"Just get in the back seat, Kid, we're tired," Liz rolled her eyes and Patti giggled.

"Urgh!" Kid groaned, opening the back door grudgingly. "The licence plate is even crooked, Liz!" He climbed in as if he were going to jail, and the car sped off down the road with a loud honk.

...

Amaya walked back into the kitchen, where Stein was still sitting with his cup of tea.

He looked up at her apathetically and set his cup down on the table.

"Thanks for finding us," Amaya told him, sitting down in the next chair. "I thought Kid was a goner. And I was so drained, I couldn't transform back to help him."

"I sensed the Kishin's soul and knew that something was going on," Stein replied. "But now that the Kishin has been injured, he will be even more frantic to get you back with him. He can heal over time. I know because Spirit and I thought we had killed him once before."

Amaya looked over at Stein, worriedly.

"The time for games is over," Stein continued. "This has been a good rest, but we need to continue our training. As soon as possible."

Amaya nodded, gulping.

"How long will it take for him to heal?" Amaya asked.

"I don't know," Stein replied. "Long enough for us to train."

He leaned forward and put a hand on her hand. He looked at her with a seriousness like she had never seen from him before.

"Listen. You need to be ready. Because the Kishin cannot physically attack, his projections into your mind will become stronger. He is going to try to drive you insane. You must resist. No matter what. You must stay sound of mind. Can you promise me that?"

Amaya nodded, worry seeming to block her chest.

"Yes. I promise."


	20. Chapter 20

Amaya sat on the couch, the blanket tucked around her, her cup of tea gone cold on the table a few feet away.

She wanted to sleep, but her mind was so busy with everything that had happened.

It was late. Stein had already gone to sleep, and Amaya had checked in on him to make sure he was really asleep and wasn't just pretending for her benefit.

After reassuring herself that Stein was indeed getting some well-deserved rest, Amaya had sat on the couch, unable to sleep herself.

Finally, after counting sheep and then counting sheep backwards, Amaya's head fell to the side, and she drifted asleep.

Amaya realized that she was dreaming about two seconds after she shut her eyes.

She could smell blood behind her. She could hear blood dripping onto the ground.

Turning around, her heart slamming against her sore chest, Amaya was startled to see that she was standing in the doorway to Stein's room.

It was dark, and she could hear his soft breathing.

What was she doing there?

It was weird that she was in his room while he was asleep. She started to turn away when something caught her eye.

Suddenly, a shadow broke away from the rest, and approached Stein's bed.

What the heck?

The shadow stopped at the foot of the bed, and leaned over Stein's resting form.

Blood dripped from the shadow onto Stein, onto the floor, the sheets, the pillows.

Amaya could smell the blood; she could feel the moist warmth of it as it flowed from the shadow.

"You'll have nothing left to stay for," the shadow whispered raggedly, and it raised an arm.

A knife glinted in the moonlight.

It came slashing down into Stein, over and over, ripping, tearing, killing...

"No!" Amaya screamed, reaching out to them. "No! Please!"

The Kishin laughed as he continued to stab Stein brutally, blood spattering the walls, and Amaya's face.

She heard a light clink as his glasses dropped onto the slippery floor-

"No! Stein! No-!"

Amaya flew up in bed, choking on the smell of blood, the wet warmth practically still on her face.

She clawed at her cheeks, trying to remove the memory of it splattering on to her.

"No! Stein!" Amaya screamed. She could feel the traces of madness rear up inside of her, but she pushed it down.

But panic still thrashed through her veins, the disturbing images still on loop in her mind.

"What's going on?" Stein asked, his bedroom door flying open. He was standing there, half-asleep, in a white V-neck and a pair of shorts, wielding a lamp as if it were a weapon.

Amaya felt her hot tears running down her face, her panic making her throat feel thick.

"Stein!" Amaya cried, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to explain what was going on. But no words came out.

He lowered the lamp, and approached her, kneeling beside the couch.

Amaya wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him close against her.

"I- I thought you were dead," Amaya whispered, thickly, as her sobs turned into uncontrollable hiccups.

"It was only a dream," Stein told her.

"It was so real," Amaya replied, burying her face in his neck as she hugged him. She felt him rest his chin on top of her head momentarily.

"I have to leave, Stein. I'm going to go back to my and River's house."

"Why?" Stein asked, emotionlessly.

"Because. My father told me again in this dream- that he would make it to where I had nothing to stay for. And then he killed you. Connect the dots, Stein," Amaya replied, her forehead still pressed against the side of his neck, her arms around him. "He's going to go after you next."

"So?" Stein asked, and Amaya could feel the vibrations of his voice against her forehead. "The Kishin is injured, hardly a threat. And we'll continue our training. Don't worry about me, Amaya. I can take care of myself."

"Last time the Kishin got within a hundred yards of you, you were rolling around on the ground, laughing in madness," Amaya said. "You were such an easy target, and I didn't even realize until just now. I even left you alone to go get Maka and her dad."

Amaya could feel Stein's jaw muscle working, and knew he was angry at himself.

"That will change," Stein said, deadly serious. "I've learned to have control over the madness now."

"I just can't lose you, too," Amaya added, sadly, hugging him tighter. "I just can't."

Stein didn't reply to that. He just kneeled there, letting Amaya hug him, her forehead pressed against the hollow of his shoulder, her tears making his shirt damp.

He was silent for a while.

"Well?" he asked her.

"Well, what?" Amaya whispered.

"Are you going to stay?" Stein inquired.

Amaya didn't answer right away.

"Yeah," Amaya said. "What if I leave? And the Kishin still wants to kill you?" Amaya told him. "Who would protect you then?"

Stein chuckled once, through his nose.

This child was unbelievable.

"I don't need protecting," Stein said.

Amaya didn't answer.

She was finally starting to fall asleep again, her head resting on his shoulder, her deep breathing inhaling the scent of his cologne or shampoo- whatever made his neck smell so good...

"Night," Amaya heard Stein say, before she fell asleep.

Or, had she imagined it?

She didn't have time to consider it before her world flickered out like a candle in the wind.

...

Amaya awoke the next morning, on the couch, as usual. If her eyes weren't dry from the tears she had shed, and the lamp wasn't still on the small table, she almost would have thought that last night hadn't happened.

She sat up on the couch, rubbing her gritty eyes.

Her nightmare...

Amaya felt guilty. Stein had literally made her only promise one thing: that she'd stay sound of mind.

And that hadn't gone so well last night. She'd blubbered like a baby. How humiliating.

She sighed.

"Feeling better?" Stein's apathetic voice asked from the hallway.

Amaya jumped, surprised, and turned around, feeling a combination of embarrassment and guilt.

"Yes," she replied, watching as Stein pulled on his lab coat. "I'm sorry about how I acted last night."

Stein just raised an eyebrow at her.

"You wanted me to stay sound of mind, and... I feel like I've already failed at that promise," Amaya said, ducking her head in shame.

"You haven't failed, it's actually the opposite," Stein explained to her, seeming to be in a good mood that morning. "When you acted last night, you weren't acting because you were consumed with madness. You were acting because you were consumed with grief. And grief is a natural, healthy emotion. It's actually good for our sanity to express pent-up thoughts sometimes."

Amaya just stared at him in shock.

"Really?" she finally asked.

Stein gave her an actual smile. Not a half-smile, not an exhausted ghost of a smile. Not even a sarcastic smile tagged on before a chuckle.

A real smile.

"You're in a good mood this morning," Amaya smiled back at him.

"Am I," Stein repeated, not in question form. He turned and walked into the kitchen.

Amaya folded her blankets and followed him into the room.

"I had never actually seen you smile before," Amaya told him, watching as he poured a cup of black coffee instead of his usual tea.

He didn't reply.

Amaya felt something shift in the room, and she sat down next to Stein, curiously.

"Let me ask you a question," Stein said, monotone. "One that's been eating it's way at me for a while."

"Alright," Amaya replied, folding her hands on the table.

"Have you noticed how once the madness seeps into your mind, it completely takes everything over?" Stein said. "Everything you want to do, anyone you want to see- it all gets reconsidered."

"Yes," Amaya answered.

"But..." Stein added, "have you ever just wondered... That this chaos is controlling your life. And every day you feel like a pawn being played by the madness? And it seems as if the point has come where you are not even living your own life?"

Amaya didn't answer, because she felt that Stein wasn't really asking her opinion the longer he talked.

"And just when it seems that all the chaos and pain is permanent... You realize something. About life. And it makes everything else seem so utterly unimportant that you wondered how you had even been getting along without it..."

He paused.

Amaya just listened.

She'd never heard Stein talk so much before, when he wasn't in class, lecturing.

"Have you?" Stein repeated, tensely.

Amaya was worried, suddenly. He had been in such a good mood earlier, now he was scaring her a bit.

She decided to just answer honestly.

"Yes," Amaya replied, studying him. "Yes, I have."

Stein tightened his grip on his mug, not looking her in the eye.

He reached up and turned the bolt in his head, something Amaya hadn't seen him do for a while.

Stein had said something about releasing pent-up emotions. Maybe this confession about feeling out of control had been just stirring inside of him for a long time?

Amaya put her hand over his free one, squeezing his fingers in a reassuring way.

"I feel that way about you and Kid," Amaya admitted to him. "Even if River was still alive, I can't see myself living in a world where you and Kid are not a part of my life. Is that strange?"

She asked him his opinion at the end, to see if he believed her or not.

Stein's jaw muscle worked.

"I don't think so," Stein replied, sounding a bit more cheerful than before. "But then again, nothing is strange to me anymore."

"Can I ask you a personal question, since you asked me one?" Amaya inquired, removing her hand from his.

Stein finally looked at her, waiting for her question.

Amaya thought back to everything she had told Stein about her past, and realized he hadn't told her anything about his.

"Do you have any family?" Amaya asked, her mind still working. "Well, besides me, of course."

Her heart practically stopped beating in her chest after she realized that she had said the last sentence out loud.

She didn't want to insult him, or for him to think that she was forcing herself into his life. Her whole body tensed as she waited for his response.

But Stein didn't even seem to blink twice at what she'd said, and ran a finger around the edge of his cup absent-mindedly.

"No," he said in a finalized tone. It was a tone that told Amaya he didn't want to talk about his family, but Amaya pried anyway.

"None at all?" she asked.

"No." He seemed angry, but Amaya was so curious.

"What about your mother?" Amaya inquired.

He didn't answer.

"And your father?"

Still silence.

"You didn't have any siblings?"

"Amaya," he said in a warning tone.

"Sorry," she replied. "I'm just curious. Because you never talk about your past."

"Everyone hated me," Stein said suddenly. As if that sentence had been straining to burst from his mouth. To finally make itself known.

"I-" Amaya was so surprised, she didn't even know how to respond. "I'm sure that's not true."

"It is," Stein said, calmly as ever. "They hated me, couldn't understand the way I acted, couldn't figure out what was wrong with me."

"Nothing was wrong with you," Amaya found herself saying. "You were just confused."

She felt a bit light-headed for some reason, but brushed it off.

"I was confused," Stein said. "I couldn't even understand myself. I had to learn to keep a leash on myself, and to depend on no one. I didn't have anyone to go to, anyhow."

"No one?" Amaya asked, remembering the stark loneliness she'd felt inside Stein's soul dimension when they had first resonated. Such a desolate loneliness. And hopelessness for anything more than unhappiness. No wonder he'd had a block on himself, so she couldn't get more than just a glimpse.

Stein didn't answer her question.

"I shouldn't have told you any of that," he said, shaking his head as if in regret, his right hand on his face. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not," Amaya replied, putting her hand on his left again, in a comforting way. "It's good to relieve pent-up emotions, remember? And besides, now you at least have me. And I don't hate you... and I don't have to understand you to know that I... accept you for who you are. And I certainly don't think anything is wrong with you."

Amaya had caught herself just in time.

She had been about to say that she loved him for who he was, but- although she meant it in a platonic way- she assumed it would be too awkward to say out loud.

She'd only been awake for about twenty minutes, and their morning had been nothing but awkward.

So she decided to keep a lid on that secret for now.

Stein's head was still ducked, and he lifted it a bit to look at her from behind his hair.

He gave her a small smile.

"I've noticed you always seem to use my words against me," Stein chuckled, his good mood returning from out of nowhere.

It sort of threw Amaya for a loop.

This man was a hard one to get a grasp on.

She guessed that he'd needed to say those things for a while, he just didn't have anyone to tell until now.

Maybe it was a good thing he had spilled his guts to her.

He stood up to put his cup in the sink, and he seemed to move lighter- as if a weight had been dragged off his weary shoulders.

Amaya shook her head, wondering how her life had turned out the way it had.

Everything sure had taken an odd turn.

"I'm going to get ready for school," Amaya told Stein.

She gave him a smile and left to prepare for her day.


	21. Chapter 21

**** Hello! Thanks to anyone who has read this far! And thanks to those who had commented and favourited as what not! :-) You guys give me the courage to keep updating! Please let me know what you all thinkkkkkk!**

**PS... I don't own any of the Soul Eater Characters besides my OCs, Amaya, River and Taljin! ****

A few days later, at school, Amaya walked inside with Stein, early as usual.

She waited in his classroom for a few minutes, and Stein sat down backwards in his chair, pulling a cigarette out of his coat pocket and setting it in his mouth gently.

"I wish you would quit smoking," Amaya told him, watching as he rolled over to his desk.

Stein gave her an odd glance, like she'd completely thrown him off guard.

"Half the time you have a cigarette in your mouth, it's not even lit," Amaya observed.

Stein didn't reply for a second.

"I've quit before," he finally said, not looking at her. He stared down at the papers scattered across his desk. "It didn't help."

"It might make you feel better," Amaya suggested.

"Smoking makes me feel better," Stein said, sounding angry. "I would appreciate it if you would stop trying to change everything I do."

Amaya was so surprised she couldn't speak.

"I do what I do for a reason," Stein said.

"Stein," Amaya breathed, feeling sadness crush her chest. She approached him where he sat in his chair and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. She squeezed him tight. "I didn't mean to make you feel like I'm trying to change you. I'm just worried about you is all."

Stein didn't say anything.

"I'm just worried because smoking isn't good for you," Amaya continued to explain, her eyes squeezed tight, her arms wrapped around him from the side.

Stein bowed his head, his hair hanging in his face.

"I'll quit smoking," Stein told her, calmly.

"No!" Amaya exclaimed. "You don't have to! Keep smoking if it makes you feel better, you've had such a hard time your whole life, if smoking makes you feel better then you should be able to!"

It was quiet for a second, then Stein chuckled once, softly.

"What are you laughing at?" Amaya asked, lifting her face so she could look at his in confusion.

Stein just shook his head, not answering.

"Really, what are you laughing at?" Amaya was really curious.

Stein took a deep breath, and looked at her from behind his hair, his green eyes a combination of amusement and something else.

"I'm only laughing at myself," he replied finally.

Amaya still had her arms wrapped around his shoulders when Stein paused.

"You'd better go find Kid," Stein said to her. "I'm sure he's looking for you by now."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Amaya asked, slowly removing him from her embrace.

"Of course I'm okay," Stein gave her a small smile. "Don't be ridiculous. Go find Kid."

Amaya pressed a kiss against his cheek, to her own surprise, right on his stitches, and ran out of his classroom, panicking, without waiting to see his reaction.

She stopped outside the door, in complete shock, and pressed herself up against the wall where Stein couldn't see her.

Oh, god. She bet Stein really thought she was crazy now, if he didn't already before.

She should have at least given the poor man some warning. She should have at least given herself some warning!

Amaya inched her way back to the door and peeked one eye into the room, curiously.

Stein was just grading papers, his head down, not looking at the door.

He looked normal.

Didn't look like he was angry or even surprised. But Stein was a man who didn't show much emotion, and if he ever did, he recovered quickly.

Oh, well. She'd already done it now; she couldn't change anything.

Amaya turned and walked down the hallway, hugging her books to her chest.

Aside from the fact that Stein probably thought she was weird and bipolar, she had something else that was bothering her.

Kid.

Amaya realized that she was really starting to like Kid, probably more than she should.

And she found several things wrong with this.

One: with her Kishin father still running about, trying to kill off all her loved ones, Amaya worried about Kid every night.

For the last couple of days, she would be so worried that the Kishin would kill Kid in the night, she couldn't even sleep.

And every day at school, when he would greet her in the hallways, it would be as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Two: Amaya felt extremely guilty for even becoming so closely attached to Kid in the first place.

Because of River.

Amaya had noticed how much River didn't care for Kid, when he was alive. Amaya had just assumed River wasn't used to them having other friends, especially ones that had any sort of interest in Amaya.

And maybe River had been a little jealous...

Amaya didn't know. But she had been feeling River's presence more lately. Not anything big, but sometimes Amaya just got the sense that River was so close, watching her.

She missed him, so much. Sometimes, when she felt his presence around her, she had the guilty notion that she had replaced River with Kid.

And that made her sad.

"Amaya!" she heard Kid's voice. She turned around in the hallway, and saw Kid walking to meet her, books symmetrically held across his chest. He stood straight, no slouch, and his yellow eyes studied her.

Amaya was so relieved he was still alive this morning.

Her shoulders seemed lighter once again, but she knew it wouldn't last long.

She felt herself smiling at him.

It wasn't fair. She really liked Kid, but she always felt so guilty after she finished talking to him.

It was as if her mind was cut in half sometimes.

"Hi, Kid!" Amaya exclaimed.

He stopped just in front of her and looked her up and down.

"Hello," Kid replied. "You seem particularly down today."

Amaya had greeted him in an overly-enthused manner. How did she seem down?!

"What do you mean?" Amaya asked.

"Your happiness today seems forced," Kid said, with a shrug, seeing right through her, in a way.

"Not exactly," Amaya replied, gulping against the anxiety that rose into her throat.

He saw the expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Kid demanded, seriously, taking her arm and guiding her to the side of the hallway, where they could talk more privately.

"Nothing," Amaya said.

"Amaya, tell the truth," Kid responded. "I know something has upset you."

Amaya breathed out, and it was suddenly as if all her fears and worries came crashing down onto her now that Kid had pointed them out.

She felt tears prick the back of her eyes, but she held them back.

"It's just-" Amaya started, her bottom lip trembling, "I'm just so worried-"

"Don't be worried," Kid told her. "I promise everything will be alright. I'll protect you."

"It's not me I'm worried about. I'm so scared my father is going kill you in the middle of the night," Amaya reiterated. "I can't sleep, I just sit up all night, worrying."

She felt a tear spill over onto her cheek and hurriedly wiped it away.

Kid just watched her face, expressionlessly.

This was the first time she had cried in front of him.

He put his arm around her shoulder, comfortingly.

He seemed a tad hesitant, like he'd never encountered a girl who cried before.

"Don't worry about me," Kid told her. "I'll be alright. Liz and Patti are usually with me. I'll have backup if anything happens."

"Usually?" Amaya asked.

Kid didn't say anything.

"I feel so guilty because your life is in danger because of me!" Amaya told him, more tears spilling over.

Kid hugged her against his side tighter, his usually calm expression a bit pained.

"Don't feel guilty," Kid said. "I chose to stay with you."

Other students were starting to stare as they passed, but Kid just gave them pointed looks and they continued on their way.

"Please don't cry, Amaya," Kid told her.

Amaya wiped her face, trying to calm herself down before the madness started up like a dormant dragon.

"Would you like me to take you to my dad's?" Kid asked, removing his arm from her shoulders.

"No, that's alright," Amaya replied, taking a deep breath. "Stein's class starts in a couple minutes."

"I'll carry your books if you'd like," Kid offered.

"That's alright," Amaya replied, with a smile. "Thank you, though."

Kid nodded, with a returning smile.

Amaya stood on her toes and made to kiss his cheek.

But Kid turned his head at the last second, and kissed her lips instead.

She broke their kiss, surprised.

"Well, how did that happen?" Kid smiled coyly at her, ducking his head and looking at her out of the corner of his eyes.

Amaya laughed as he wrapped one arm around her shoulders.

"Let's get to class," Kid said, guiding her.

Maka walked up to them, with big eyes, her black coattails flying behind her plaid skirt.

"Amaya, Kid," Maka said, and they stopped to face her. "Are you guys... together?"

"Maka," Soul walked up behind her, shaking his head in disbelief. "It's none of our business. Be cool."

"I'm just curious, Soul," Maka defended.

"Maka!" Kid exclaimed, almost angrily. "Your ponytails are uneven."

He reached over and pulled one of them down to match the other.

"Don't try to get out of my question, Kid," Maka replied.

"We're going to be late for class," Kid said, and guided Amaya down the hall.

Amaya heard Maka sigh behind them.

Kid and Amaya were the first ones to the classroom.

Students were walking in behind them, whispering and giggling.

Stein was sitting at his desk, head down.

He looked up when he sensed their souls enter the room.

Noticing Amaya's red and tear-streaked face, and how Kid had an arm protectively wrapped around her shoulders, Stein gave her a confused and concerned look.

Amaya waved casually to him, as if telling him to forget about it.

Stein seemed to shake his concern off and prepared to take role.

...

It happened in the middle of Stein's class.

Amaya was perfectly fine at first.

She listened as Stein lectured about the history of some technique he'd been talking about.

Kid was sitting beside her, his left hand wrapped around her right, on top of the desk.

She wasn't even showing any sudden emotions, but the madness started ebbing into her mind.

Her mind was losing it's rationality.

She couldn't concentrate any more.

The warmth and strength of Kid's hand was the only thing keeping her sane enough to keep her mouth shut.

Stein's voice seemed to drone on and on. It was the longest class period she'd ever sat through.

With a glance at the clock, she saw that it was only 8:14.

It had only been fourteen minutes! It had felt like a lifetime.

Amaya's heart sank. She couldn't take the madness right now- not in the middle of class.

What if she blacked out and lost control? In front of everyone? In front of Kid?

She stood up suddenly.

Stein stopped talking and looked up at her, confused.

All the students turned and looked at her as well, wondering what was going on.

Amaya quickly walked out of the classroom, leaving all her books on the desk.

She ran into the hall, heading toward the girls' bathroom.

Amaya flung the door open and dashed into a stall.

The madness was overwhelming her.

She could feel the Kishin's presence, surrounding her, the evil trying to influence her thinking just as Stein had said.

All her emotions seemed to swirl inside of her.

She needed a vise- something to tether her to her sanity.

River.

The name exploded into her head like a firework. Like something to light her way.

"Amaya," she could hear River's voice somehow. Not in her mind.

In her soul. "Hold on to yourself. You can do it."

She gasped and hugged her arms around her waist.

She held on to herself.

Silence.

Everything was paused.

It all seemed still, like the world had froze solid.

The only thing that moved was her chest as she breathed.

It was so quiet.

"Amaya..." River's windy voice said to her soul. "It's ok."

Amaya's mind seemed to stop working as she listened to the voice she'd thought she'd never hear again.

"Everything is ok. Kid is ok..." River whispered. "His soul... Is pure."

Amaya's vision was blurry as her tears gathered in her unblinking eyes. She only stared at nothing, just listening. "You're strong..." River's voice continued. "Protect those... who protect you..."

Amaya continued to listen, but his voice faded away until it mixed with the sound of her rapid breathing.

"River?" Amaya whispered.

No response.

She finally blinked, her tears spilling over.

Why was it that she was always crying?

Amaya took deep breaths, and her heart finally calmed.

She returned to normal faster than usual.

When she was completely serene, she noticed something.

Someone was beating on the bathroom door. Frantically, loudly.

"Amaya!" Kid yelled.

Amaya was surprised because she'd been expecting Stein. She wanted to talk to Stein. Even though Kid made her happy, Stein understood more about madness scenarios.

Amaya stood up and opened the bathroom door.

Kid backed up a bit and let Amaya walk out.

The halls were deserted except for Kid, who was watching her with wide eyes.

"Are you alright? Professor Stein sent me to-" Kid said, but then cut off when he saw her expression.

Amaya watched Kid, and thought about what River's voice had said.

Had it really been River? Or had it been part of the madness, just her subconscious just telling her what she wanted to hear?

Either way...

Amaya felt that she had received a message somehow. If not from River, then from somebody.

Telling her that Kid was okay, and that his soul was pure.

What if the Kishin was projecting this into her mind to trick her?

Kid was alright, though.

Wasn't he?

She had to know for sure.

Amaya continued to watch Kid.

"What are you looking at?" Kid asked, softly. "Why are you so quiet?"

He sounded afraid.

Amaya watched him for another second, then ran at him.

He seemed startled at first, then confused.

Amaya wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his in an actual kiss.

Not just her lips touching his lips, but she reached her soul wavelength out and resonated with him.

Her soul attached to his, they became one soul.

When they had resonated to fight, they hadn't done so to explore each other's souls, or to find out more about each other.

She hadn't gotten a glimpse into his soul dimension.

Amaya kissed him fuller, and he put his hands on her waist to draw her closer.

Their wavelengths became one, and Amaya internally looked inside Kid's soul.

She could tell that Kid was aware she was doing this. She could feel him in her mind.

It was the downright most strange thing she had ever done.

She hadn't even known she could do this.

Amaya prodded further into his energy.

She sensed eternal good; eternal lightness. A kind nature; a strong will; a hidden excitement for beauty. His soul was linear. Symmetrical.

She could feel the speck of darkness inside of him that made him a reaper. The speck was all but engulfed by the good, but she sensed a flexibility within the speck.

Like the darkness could spread if he wanted it to.

Amaya felt sure that she could trust Kid.

She felt sure that the voice in her head was actually telling her that Kid had a pure soul.

She could trust him.

Amaya pulled away from Kid slightly enough to stop the kiss and stared past Kid's arm, in concentration. He was still holding her close, and he was breathing heavily.

How long had they stood like that? Bodies and souls connected, as they wandered through each other's soul dimension?

It couldn't have been more than a few seconds...

Amaya looked up at Kid, who looked surprised. His usually narrowed yellow eyes were wide with caution.

"What... just happened," Kid stated, his arms still around her waist. "Professor Stein will wonder where we've gone." He looked behind them but the halls were still empty.

Kid drew his gaze back to Amaya.

"Why did you do...?" he started, his quiet voice trailed off.

"I thought the Kishin had told me something..." Amaya explained. "But I guess it wasn't him after all."

Kid just looked down at her in confusion.

"Guys!" Maka exclaimed, running down the hall.

Kid quickly let go of Amaya's waist as Maka approached them.

"What is it?" Amaya asked.

"Professor Stein's class just ended," Maka informed them. "He wants to see both of you as soon as possible!"

Amaya looked at Kid, her eyebrows raised.

"Right," Kid said.


	22. Chapter 22

The pair walked down the halls to make it to Professor Stein's classroom.

It seemed like everyone was staring at them with odd glances as they passed.

They walked up and saw a group of students all gathered around Black Star, who was loudly bad-mouthing someone.

"You don't know why?" Black Star said in his obnoxious voice. "She used to be normal when she first moved here! Then she started hanging around Professor Nutso and started acting like this! That's why!"

Amaya felt anger boil up inside of her stomach.

Black Star was so hard to get along with because he said what he wanted and didn't care who he insulted.

Kid started to grab her arm and stop her but Amaya ran forward.

"Black Star!" Amaya screamed. "Want to say that to my face?!"

Black Star turned, apathetically, in her direction and shrugged.

"Alright. I said you used to be normal until you started hanging around that weirdo teacher. And then a bunch of weird things start happening around you! It's no wonder there's something wrong with you if you keep hanging around Professor Stein! That guy is off his rocker!" Black Star repeated matter-of-factly, crossing his arms.

Amaya clenched her hands into fists and approached Black Star.

"How dare you even say that?! What I do or what Professor Stein does isn't any of your business! You need to learn to shut your mouth!" Amaya screamed.

"I need to learn to shut My mouth?!" Black Star exclaimed, in disbelief. "You need to shut YOUR mouth!"

"Why would you say things like that about Professor Stein?!" Amaya demanded, angrily. "He hasn't done anything to you!"

"Yeah, because I'm not stupid enough to be alone in the same room with him!" Black Star replied, with a haughty laugh. "He'd probably dissect me or cut me open like he does every thing else!"

Amaya reared back her fist and punched him in the face. His head jerked to the side with the impact of her punch.

"Don't talk about him like that!" Amaya screamed. "You don't even understand what he's gone through! I can't believe we're going through this again, Black Star!"

Black Star suddenly became serious.

"If you hit me again, I'm gonna have to consider that the start to a fight," he said, rubbing his cheek.

Amaya pulled back her fist again in blinding anger...

and punched him in the face for the second time.

Black Star shook his head to shake off the pain.

"Tsubaki!" Black Star exclaimed, holding a hand up.

When Tsubaki didn't immediately turn into her weapon, Black Star whipped around to face her.

"Come on, Tsubaki! I don't have all day!" Black Star said.

Tsubaki looked hesitant for a second, and turned to Amaya with an apologetic glance.

Then she turned into her weapon.

"Hah!" Black Star laughed. He brandished the Tsubaki sword. "Let's go, then!"

Amaya faltered only for a second when she realized that she was a weapon with no Meister.

But then she thought of what Black Star said about Stein and her temper flared up.

"What are you going to do?" Black Star asked, tauntingly. "You don't even have a Meister! You've already lost and I didn't even do anything! That's how great I am!"

He laughed and reared back his head.

"I don't need a Meister to defeat you!" Amaya exclaimed, all of her anger boiling up.

She thought about his words against her friend. 'Its no wonder there's something wrong with you if you keep hanging around Professor Stein!'

She thought of Stein's words to her a few days ago: 'They hated me, couldn't understand the way I acted, couldn't figure out... what was wrong with me.'

She felt pity build up inside of her, and such rage...

Such anger...

She could defeat him alone...

Suddenly, a giant scythe erupted from Amaya's arm.

It shone brightly in the light as Amaya screamed in anger.

Black Star and everyone else looked completely shocked. She had never mentioned before that she could bring her weapon from out of her flesh.

"There's nothing wrong with us!" Amaya yelled, jumping up and bringing the weapon down toward Black Star.

She turned her weapon and slashed at the air two inches away from Black Star's head.

Strands of his bluish hair fell through the air and landed at his feet.

"Next time you want to say something about Professor Stein," Amaya told him, leaning near his face, angrily, "Don't."

She retracted her weapon back into her arm and turned around.

Kid just stood there, surprised.

Amaya made her way toward Stein's classroom, rage practically radiating from her.

"Wait," Kid said, and she stopped walking.

He ran up to her and took her arm.

"Alright," he replied, leading her down the hall. "Let's go."

...

Amaya and Kid rounded the corner to head to the classroom, when they almost ran into someone.

Amaya's head hit against the man's chest because she had been glaring angrily at the floor.

"Professor Stein?" Kid asked, and Amaya's head jerked up to see his expression.

He smiled at them, his eyes closing.

"Are you both alright?" Stein asked. "You didn't come back to class."

"We're fine," Kid replied, and Amaya felt guilt well up inside of her again. Guilt and and anger that people could treat Stein so badly, even if it was in secret.

"What happened?" Stein asked, his smile slowly vanishing.

"N-nothing," Amaya said. "It was the madness again. I'm sure it was."

"What's the matter with Black Star? His soul wavelength is a bit frustrated," Stein added, rotating the screw connected to his temple.

"He's just running his mouth again, like usual," Amaya replied, rolling her eyes and trying to get Stein to forget about it.

"What did he say?" Stein asked.

"Nothing," Amaya said, pretending that she'd taken care of it. "What did you want to talk to us about?"

"I think we should train after school today," Stein answered, getting right to the point. "And Kid," he turned to Kid, who was still guiding Amaya by her arm. "I would like for you to train with us, too. Just not today. Tomorrow, I believe, would be best."

"Alright," Kid replied. "I can train tomorrow."

"I'll explain everything then," Stein promised. "Amaya, meet me in the clearing right after school."

"Right," Amaya said, with a nod.

Stein walked past them, squeezing Amaya's shoulder as he left, and giving her a knowing smile.

When he'd disappeared, Amaya turned to Kid.

"He knows everything," she panicked.

"How do you know for sure?" Kid asked, walking her to her next class.

"I don't know," Amaya replied quickly. "He knows everything. He always finds out. The last time I got in a fight with Black Star, he knew."

"Well, he was just standing right around the corner," Kid added. "He could have overheard on his way to find us."

Amaya nodded and they continued on their way to class.


	23. Chapter 23

**** Hiiiii! Thanks for readinggg! And thanks to everyone who's commented and reviewed and favourited! I love you guys! :-) Please let me know what you think of this chapter too! ****

Right after school, Amaya walked outside about half a block into the clearing, where she leaned against a tree to wait for Stein.

The last time she'd been in this clearing, Stein had been insane, and River had died at the hands of her Kishin father.

But she shook her head, and decided not to think about that.

She was here to train.

Nothing more.

"There you are," Stein approached her, with a genuine smile.

That was the second actual smile he'd given her that day. Why was he randomly in such a good mood?

Amaya stopped leaning against the tree and walked toward him.

"Yeah," Amaya said. "I'm ready to train."

"That's good," Stein replied, stopping a few feet from her, hands in his pockets. "I must warn you that today's training session is going to be especially brutal."

Amaya nodded, once, resolved.

"Can you handle that?" Stein asked.

"Yes," Amaya said.

She wasn't sure if Stein would honestly make her learn something brutal. He was insane enough at times to, but he was also worried about protecting her.

"How long have you been able to allow your weapon to penetrate through your skin?" Stein asked.

"I've only ever done it twice in my life. Once, when I was almost kidnapped as a child, and the other today," Amaya replied.

Then stopped.

"Wait," Amaya said. "How did you know I could do that?"

"You didn't know the story was spread all over the academy?" Stein inquired, curiously tipping his head slightly to one side.

"What story?" Amaya asked, her heart seeming to stop in her chest.

"That you got into a fight with Black Star and were able to have your weapon protrude from your skin," Stein replied, turning the screw in his head. "An illegal fight, I might add." He gave her a serious look. "Don't ever get into physical fights without a teacher present. Things can get complicated if you do."

"Right," Amaya said, with a nod.

Stein looked at her for a moment and smiled again, like he couldn't help it, or he found something funny.

"You're in an unusually good mood today, Stein," Amaya commented hesitantly.

"I am," Stein stated, and didn't explain further.

"Well, what's going on?" Amaya asked, curiously.

"It's nothing," Stein said, seeming to be suppressing another smile.

"It's not nothing," Amaya replied. "You're so happy, and you seem so sound of mind today. Something happened."

"I..." Stein started, then paused. "I just received some good news earlier today. It's nothing important to you. It has to do with my teaching job here at the academy."

"What, did you get a promotion or something?" Amaya asked.

"Something like that," Stein replied, watching her carefully. "Alright. Enough of this. Let's train."

...

Brutal wasn't even a good enough describing word for what she was put though that evening.

She had wondered if Stein was cold-hearted enough to actually make her work brutally.

Amaya realized now that he didn't have any problems making her work. At all.

Stein at first did a couple training exercises to get her started.

He made her stretch her soul wavelength as far as possible. He made her see how far she could sense a witch's soul.

Then, he decided to try to get her to make her weapon protrude from her flesh again.

"Alright. Try," Stein said, casually, a hand in his pocket.

"I- I can't just decide when that happens!" Amaya exclaimed. "I've only ever even done it twice!"

"Alright," Stein put a hand to his chin. "We need to find a common denominator. Think back to both instances when you succeeded in doing that."

"The first time, I was outside the orphanage," Amaya explained. "A man tried to kidnap me. I was so terrified."

"So maybe fear is the answer," Stein said.

"I don't think so," Amaya replied. "This last time, I wasn't afraid at all. I was actually so angry."

"Were you angry that day at the orphanage, too?" Stein inquired.

"Yes," Amaya said. "The guy who tried to kidnap me... He had tried to adopt a girl, but something in his record wouldn't allow it. So he just tried to take me illegally. I remember being so angry. Because I had always thought to the day a family would adopt me," Amaya paused. "And I always wanted it to be happy. Because someone actually wanted me. But that man ruined it. I wasn't happy; I felt cheated."

Amaya gulped as the old memory returned to her.

"So... Anger is the key, then," Stein looked back up to her. "That was a sad story."

"Everyone has one," Amaya shrugged.

Stein studied her for a second, his green eyes possessing a sanity that Amaya hadn't seen in him in a long time.

"If anger is the key," Stein resumed. "Then you need to get angry."

Amaya just blinked, surprised.

"What makes you angry?" Stein asked, his hands back in his pockets, slowly circling around her like a shark around a carcass.

"I- I don't know," Amaya replied.

"Let's see..." Stein studied her. "You were angry at Black Star today. What did he do to make you so furious?"

Amaya didn't respond, her heart sinking into her stomach.

"Did he call you a name?" Stein asked.

Silence.

"Did he say something you disagreed with?" Stein added, still walking a circle around her, slowly, watching with a reproachful eye. "Did he do something to you?"

Amaya clenched her hands into fists, recalling Black Star's idiotic and hateful remarks.

"You won't say?" Stein asked. "Well we're not leaving until you tell me."

She still didn't say anything.

Amaya kept her mouth shut tight, afraid that if she so much as parted her lips to take a breath, all her emotions would come tumbling out.

She'd forgotten how intelligent Stein was when he was in his right mind.

"While I wait..." Stein said, reaching into his coat pocket, "I'll have a cigarette."

He pulled a cigarette from his jacket and set it in his mouth, lighting it with a Bic that Amaya had never seen him use before.

Stein inhaled to make sure the fire caught, and exhaled, smoke curling from his smiling lips.

He put the lighter back into his pocket and raised his face toward the sky.

Taking another deep drag on the cigarette, he released the smoke into the air from his nose and mouth.

"Ah," he said. "Glorious carcinogenic nicotine."

"Stein, stop," Amaya replied in a warning tone.

"Why?" Stein asked, turning his head to look at her. "Am I making you angry?"

Amaya didn't reply. She didn't want to give him any more ammunition.

"Hm," Stein said, taking another drag on his cigarette. "What else have you told me to not do?"

He thought for a second.

With a small smile, and a snap from his fingers, he whipped an X-Acto knife from his bottom pocket.

Amaya just watched.

He held his cigarette in his mouth and pulled a medical needle and thread from his other pocket, his eyes guarded.

"Here's something..." Stein told her.

Amaya gulped, trying to keep her expression blank.

"How long have you been planning this?!" Amaya asked.

Stein acted as if he hadn't heard her.

"In a way, I sort of missed the feeling," Stein dropped his cigarette on the damp grass, and held his left arm out.

He slowly rolled his sleeve up, revealing his forearm.

"Cutting into my own flesh, seeing the cells and tissue separate from each other, the blood seeping from nowhere," Stein added. "It was calming."

He made his hand a fist, tensing his arm muscles.

"Taking my tissue's structure apart, and then stitching it back together... The most advanced type of dissection."

He lowered the blade to his skin, the point almost breaking the surface, his flesh concave around the invading sharpness.

The point was at the crease of his elbow, right on the bluish line that was his major artery.

He lifted his head and looked up at the clouds, ready to slice into his marred skin.

"Stop it!" Amaya yelled, angrily. "Stop hurting yourself!"

Stein paused for a second, then glanced her way.

"Why should I?" he asked.

"You're only doing this to make my weapon form from my hand!" Amaya shouted. "It's stupid of you to hurt yourself for something like that!"

"Stupid?" Stein asked, surprised, the knife still at his arm.

"Yes! It's ridiculous!" Amaya yelled.

Stein pushed the knife farther into his skin. Blood dripped from his elbow.

"Wha-?" Amaya started, appalled. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm not doing this just for you," Stein replied. "I'm doing this because I deserve it."

"You don't deserve that!" Amaya yelled, taking a step toward him, a hand out as if to stop him.

He took an equal step back.

"Don't lie," Stein demanded, almost angrily.

"I'm not lying!" Amaya yelled, desperately.

Stein pushed the knife in farther and more blood started dripping from his arm.

"Stein, stop!" Amaya exclaimed. "You're going to bleed out! This isn't funny! I'm not even angry anymore! Now I'm worried!"

Stein laughed loudly, his almost-insane guffaws echoing through the woods.

"Stop laughing!" Amaya yelled, angry again. "This isn't funny, Stein! I'm honestly worried about you! STOP it!"

She ran forward while he was laughing, and grabbed his wrist.

He stopped laughing in surprise, and tried to twist his arm away from her.

Amaya ripped the knife from his hand-

And her mouth dropped open-

"What is going on?!" she yelled, angrily.

The knife was... fake. It bent in her fist like rubber.

The blood was from a packet that Stein had crushed in his palm. He dropped the small packet on the ground accidentally, and Amaya stared at it in temporary shock.

His arm was only red from the faux blood and where he'd rubbed his skin with the fake knife.

He gave her a small smile.

"Just what you think," Stein answered, calmly.

"You mean you weren't even cutting yourself?! The entire time?!" She screamed, her anger rising, her heart pounding it's way through her chest in rage.

Stein chuckled.

"THIS IS NOT FUNNY!" Amaya screamed, pushing him backwards. "I was honestly worried about you, you sicko! I thought you were going to die!"

She felt her rage grow inside her head.

"I thought I was gonna lose you!" Amaya screamed so loudly, she felt her throat become raw.

She slammed Stein against a tree in pure rage, her arm becoming a large, curved blade with a burst of white light. Stein's eyes were calm behind his glinting glasses.

She pressed the blade up by his face.

"Don't you EVER do that again! Don't you EVER make me worry like that again!" Amaya shouted, then took a deep breath.

She stopped yelling and stared at her weapon in surprise.

"You did it," Stein smiled happily at her. "Congratulations."

Amaya felt emotion clog up her throat again, and she felt as if she would cry.

"I can't believe that actually worked," Stein sounded proud of himself. "You're much too predictable, Amaya."

He chuckled again.

A weak sound escaped from Amaya's throat as all anger left her.

"You weren't hurting yourself at all?" Amaya asked, as if in disbelief.

"Why would I?" Stein replied, with a smile. "You told me not to."

Amaya gulped loudly.

"The cigarette, on the other hand," Stein added, carelessly, "was real."

Amaya removed the blade from Stein's throat and backed up.

"I'm so sorry," Amaya said. "I could've hurt you."

Stein chuckled again.

"But look," he gestured to her weapon, which had formed from her arm. "Remember the feel of that. Whenever you are in battle, remember the feel of that power."

"Right," Amaya said.

"I'm sorry I had to scare you like that," Stein added. "But the only things I have ever seen you become angry at involved my well-being."

Amaya felt a blush rise into her face at that, and she tried to pull it off as anger.

"That still wasn't funny!" Amaya insisted, her arm fading back to it's original shape.

"I found it amusing," Stein shrugged. "Alright. Let's get back to training."

He pulled a tissue from his pocket and wiped away the fake blood.

"What?!" Amaya asked in disbelief. "You mean there's more?!"

"Yes," he chuckled. "We're just getting started."


	24. Chapter 24

"Soul resonate," Stein said, after Amaya physically trained for a while. She'd had to do push-ups and sprinting, sit-ups and strength exercises.

"Soul resonate?" Amaya repeated, confused. She gasped for breath, exhausted, hands on her knees.

"Yes," Stein replied.

"With who?" Amaya asked. She lifted her head to look at him.

"Yourself," Stein said, calmly.

"That's not even possible," Amaya breathed, not wanting to even think about attempting it.

"Stand up," Stein told her, taking her arm and helping her stand straight. "Now. When you're angry, you can withdraw the physical embodiment of your own weapon from yourself. Right?"

"Hm," Amaya nodded, tiredly.

"So think about the two halves of your soul as separate. The soul of the weapon, and the soul of your body," Stein explained. "Go ahead."

Amaya closed her eyes and tried to concentrate.

She was just so tired. She couldn't get her mind to stay on a single track.

She felt her concentration falter.

"No, no, no," Stein said. "You're doing it wrong. Imagine soul resonating with River or Kid. Remember how it felt to connect souls?"

"Yes," Amaya replied. "I'm just so tired."

"That doesn't matter," Stein added. "If you go up against a Kishin, do you think he'll take it easy on you just because you're tired?"

Amaya set her jaw to compose herself.

"What doesn't kill you can only make you stronger," Stein reminded her. "Now resonate."

Amaya swallowed her exhaustion and tried to steady her mind.

She could feel her own soul nestled deep within the soul of her weapon. The two shone together, in a bright white light.

Now.

She had to get them to connect somehow.

She couldn't grasp the feeling of it. It seemed too far away.

"Close," Stein said, watching her.

"I can't remember the feeling, how to get my soul wavelength to expand inside my chest," Amaya told him, her legs feeling weak. "Usually it's two people moving together, but now it's just me. Will you resonate with me, so I can remember how to do it?"

Stein considered her words.

"Fine," he agreed.

Stein approached her and held his hand out to her.

Amaya hesitated, then placed her hand in his.

"Now. Feel the wavelengths. Remember the energy flow," Stein advised.

Amaya felt her soul move toward Stein's automatically.

But something was different.

"Are you changing your soul wavelength to match mine?" Amaya asked.

"Not this time," Stein replied, calmly.

Amaya's soul wavelength connected with Stein's after a slight hesitation, and she felt the absurd amount of energy radiating from him.

His soul dimension was still blocked, which meant Amaya couldn't see inside of his soul or hear his thoughts.

She memorized the feel of the connecting wavelengths, closing her eyes to scorch the feelings inside of her.

Suddenly, Amaya saw something flash behind her eyelids.

An image.

It was... Stein. Younger than he was now, with no stitched scar running across his face.

He was looking down into a bundle of some sort, with a confused and awed expression on his face.

A bundle.

Amaya felt herself being sucked into Stein's mind.

There was a frantic resistance, as if Stein was desperately trying to push her soul away from his.

A bundle...

Amaya's mind could peer into Stein's hand.

What was it...?

The bundle exploded into bright lights suddenly, and Stein jumped as if he'd been cut.

Blood dripped onto the ground, and Stein held a weapon.

A tiny weapon.

Then, quickly, Amaya got a glimpse of the weapon transforming back into...

A baby?

A baby... The baby was...

With a painful tug, Amaya's mind was brought from Stein's, and her consciousness was back in the woods.

Stein was breathing heavily, giving her a hesitant look.

"That was you," Amaya said, taking in everything she'd just seen. "When I was a baby... I remember it... That's why you were always so familiar to me."

Stein licked his dry lips and didn't answer right away.

"You... Remember that?" Stein asked, doubtfully.

Amaya nodded her head, surely.

"Something happened," Stein said. "When we resonated souls. I had my thoughts and dimension blocked as usual, but something broke through."

Amaya watched him, curiously, waiting for him to continue.

"There was another soul present," Stein told her. He studied her expression, seeing if she understood. "Another soul."

"What does that mean?" Amaya asked him, worriedly. Stein only studied her face for a second to see how she was reacting. His gaze trailed over her expression, and he finally set his jaw and dropped his eyes from hers.

"It was River's."

...

"R-River's soul?" Amaya gasped. "You mean, it wasn't the madness?!"

"What are you talking about?" Stein inquired, cautiously.

"I-I..."

Amaya's heart thumped painfully, and her breath caught in her throat.

"The night River died," Stein started, "did you consume his soul?"

Silence.

Amaya didn't know how to respond. What if he grew angry at her for it? But, she couldn't lie. Not to him.

"Yes."

Stein let a breath out, as if he'd guessed right, but was still surprised anyway.

"I've never even heard of this happening before," Stein told her, locking his jaw.

"I can sense his presence sometimes," Amaya said. Stein seemed a bit angry at her, and she was afraid he was honestly upset by this. She didn't want him to be angry at her.

"His soul is weakening inside of you," Stein added, leaning against the tree heavily.

Amaya didn't reply.

"You've been hearing his voice?" Stein asked, calmly.

"Yes. Just a couple times," Amaya answered. "I thought it was the madness."

"In a while, his soul will have completely disintegrated within yours," Stein said, taking his glasses off and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I assume you ate his soul so you would always have a part of him with you."

"Yes," Amaya replied.

"Because you consumed the soul with pure intentions, I don't think it will count against you in the way of becoming a Kishin or Kishin-egg," Stein told her.

"Alright," Amaya said.

Stein was quiet.

"Are you angry with me?" Amaya asked, after the silence had gone on for a few seconds.

"No," Stein answered, finally looking up at her.

He gave her a small smile and returned his glasses to his face, pushing back a few strands of his silver hair.

"I understand why you would do it," Stein said. "Especially with River being your true soul pairing. I was only worried about your safety."

"I'm fine," Amaya said to him. "I've been like this all along."

Stein nodded and gave her a small smile.

"We'll stop for today," he added. "Let's go home."

"Really?!" Amaya asked, relieved, letting out a huge breath. "I'm so exhausted!"

Stein approached her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"You're a very strong soul, Amaya," Stein added calmly as they walked. "When we resonated, and I saw into your mind, I could tell how strong you've been. I'm so proud of you."

"You are?" Amaya asked, looking up at him with a confused glance.

"Extremely," Stein said, looking down at her from the corners of his eyes.

She grinned up proudly at him and hugged him back.

"Thank you," she said, modestly. "I'm proud of you, too."

Stein chuckled quietly.

The two walked together back to their house, the laughing sun setting in one half of the horizon, and the grinning moon rising in the other.

...

Through the next week, Amaya went to school and trained afterwards. Kid started going with them, because his and Amaya's soul wavelengths matched up so well.

Stein had them start off slowly, then they began to work into larger techniques.

Amaya learned to work with Kid almost as well as she had worked with River. Of course, nobody would be able to surpass Amaya's and River's rate of resonance, but Stein made sure she and Kid knew how to work together well.

Stein also trained her with himself.

Amaya could work really well with Stein, too. It was a bit odd the first time she'd actually transformed into her weapon, with Stein as her Meister.

She could literally feel the energy coursing through him. And whenever Stein wielded her scythe, his energy pumped through her as well.

But, even though Amaya and Stein worked extremely well together, he still kept his thoughts and soul dimension guarded. No matter how hard she tried to see past his mental wall, his side of their connection was always blank.

And also, to Amaya's surprise, Kid never noticed that a small part of River's soul dwelled within her own.

Maybe only an experienced Meister like Stein would be able to tell?

Amaya didn't know.

She was sure, however, that Liz and Patti hated her.

Honestly... She couldn't blame them. Kid seemed to be spending most of his time with Amaya, and only spending fractional amounts of time with his actual partners.

It was bluntly obvious one day.

Amaya walked down the halls just after school, to meet up with Stein.

Liz and Patti were whispering, and suddenly stopped whenever Amaya walked by.

Then, one of them stuck their foot out, and Amaya stumbled.

Catching herself on the wall, she told herself not to be mad.

"Sorry for stepping on your foot!" Amaya smiled happily at them, her eyes shut.

"Yeah," Liz said, dully.

Amaya sighed. She had to do something. She didn't dislike the two girls, and wanted to be friends with them.

"Listen," she told them. "I'm sorry that I seem to be taking Kid away from you guys. I don't want it to be like that. I want us to be friends!"

"Yeah," Liz said, sarcastically. "You really don't understand anything about us. I don't think you can be our friend." She sounded factual, as if this were the truth, and could not be strayed from.

"I understand how you feel," Amaya insisted. "If Kid had been my friend first, and someone took him away, I'd be really upset, too. He's a really amazing guy. But I don't want to take him from you. If you want to hang out with him, go ahead! Don't let me stop you!"

The two girls just looked at Amaya.

"We already planned to do that, thank you," Liz replied, casually.

They walked off, leaving Amaya there by herself.


End file.
